Winemaker Notes
Great aromatic range: lemon zest, citrus blossom, white flowers, and brioche. Fresh green herb and botanical notes emerge with an intriguing sweet hay character. Similar flavors flow with classic Heintz Vineyard signatures of tangy lime juice, rich lemon oil, and toasted hazelnut. The texture is full of beeswax and honey with some miso complexity. The mineral acidity comes in waves—taut, electric, and vibrant. The wine finishes with candied ginger richness and stony length.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Layers of tropical fruit and herbs, along with medicinal herbs and saline, are found in the 2020 Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel. The palate is rich, with compact concentration of green apple skin, lemon oil, and salty mineral earth. A long, persistent wine that is full of character, drink over the next 20 or so years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard was harvested on September 12 and matured in larger, 300- to 500-liter barrels. It opens with creamy new oak spices over baked peaches, baklava, beeswax and jasmine. The palate is full-bodied and very concentrated, with a dense core of ripe, honeyed fruits and balancing juicy acidity. It finishes with loads of flavor and a touch of phenolic texture that draws out its length. It's incredibly hedonistic and ideal for earlier drinking with all that gregarious fruit.
Respect for the land
DuMOL is a “vineyard up” winery with a fully integrated approach to winegrowing and winemaking. DuMOL planted its high-density estate vineyards and has farmed many of California’s most renowned vineyards for more than two decades.
Commitment to craft
DuMOL sticks to what works and is focused on the fundamentals, finding inspiration in master, visionary producers around the world as DuMOL continually hones its craft—never imitating, ever refining.
Connected on a personal level
This is a project that comes from who the DuMOL team is and what they love. A deep connection is paramount: to the land, the wines, and the customers.
Heritage and experience
Founded in 1996, DuMOL is a latter-day pioneer in the Russian River Valley. Winemaker, Viticulturist and Partner, Andy Smith, farmed the region for nearly a decade before joining in 1999, and Associate Winemakers Julie Cooper and Jenna Davis, and Cellar Master Jaime Eufracio, have over 40 years combined experience at DuMOL.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.