Winemaker Notes
The wine shows aromas of orange blossom, mixed stone fruits and honeysuckle. Thyme leaf, wet stone and almond paste notes lend complexity. The palate is immediately broad and mouth-filling with tangerine oil and orange sherbet flavors. The wine’s center is rich in extract—deep and almost chewy. It finishes with mineral signatures and a lingering citrus zest note.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lemon curd, chamomile, orange blossom, and a touch of tropical fruit emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Chloe, an exotic, full-bodied effort that offers a singular character. Upfront and with a big, mouthfilling texture, it shows a terrific sense of salinity and minerality on the finish and shows a more Burgundian side to this Grand Cru site.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Chloe Ritchie Vineyard was barrel fermented and aged 12 months on the lees in 33% new oak. It opens to aromas of yellow peach, quince paste, baked apples and spicy oak touches with accents of honey, toast, hay and white flowers plus touches of seashell and lime peel. Light to medium-bodied, it's intensely flavored with a mineral/savory dichotomy in the mouth, mouthwatering acidity and a long, layered and textured finish. Wow!
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Wine Spectator
Pillowy and seductively spicy, with lots of custardy accents to the apple pastry and ripe pear flavors, loaded with buttery accents. Creamy finish. Drink now through 2024.
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.