Winemaker Notes
If you enjoyed the 2006 Ryanbottling you will want to invest in this sibling. It takes the cool season nuance of the '06 and adds additional layers of dark cocoa, violet and menthol to the mix alongside a richness of texture and back end power that are really compelling. This will be another great wine to follow for up to a decade.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Pinot Noir Ryan is another very pretty and complete wine. Freshly cut flowers, red berries, spices and licorice are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. Underlying veins of minerality support the fruit and give the wine much of its energy. I don’t find the same level of complexity or interest here as I do with the best wines in this lineup, but in exchange, the Ryan will be ready to drink pretty much right out of the gate. The vineyard sources are Widdoes and Abbott. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Leaning ever so slightly away from ripeness and fruity flesh and a little more to minerally firmness, the new "ryan" release is a tense and finely tuned youngster with a little less swagger and a little more nuance. It smacks of stones and cherry skins, and its evident acids accentuate a bit of back-palate astringency, but it is not cut off by either, and its vigorous fruit stays the course. It is sufficiently tight as to make aging is a necessity rather than a beneficial option, and we would like to see it set aside for no fewer than four or five years.
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Wine Spectator
Firm and intense, with layers of wild berry, black cherry, plum and spice flavors. This is aromatic and full-bodied, gaining a loamy earthiness and lively chai tea spiciness on the finish. Drink now through 2019.
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.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.