Winemaker Notes
The wine from start to long finish is packed full of lemon, lime, and tangerine
fruits. The aromas and flavors are piercing in their intensity and volume, and
the wine has great lines and vibrancy. There are complex elements of wild sage,
fresh mint, and white flowers that add intrigue beyond simple fruit alone. The
core of the wine is deep, oily, and resonant with a rich layered texture and
obvious concentration. Candied ginger, toasted hazelnut and orange oil notes
complete the profile.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a bright, unc- tuous and textured wine, with candied richness that appeals and contributes beautiful complexity. With a touch of baking spice and oak, it is youthfully exu- berant and yet still holding back, with a lengthy fin- ish that unfurls over time.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chardonnay Wester Reach is highly aromatic of fresh and candied fruit, with white pineapple, fresh herbs, and lightly toasted oak spices. The palate is ripe and inviting with fresh peach fruit, yellow pear, and lemon curd.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay Wester Reach is one of Dumol's larger cuvées—usually about 3,000 cases are produced—although there will only be 1,000 cases of the 2020 vintage available. Among Dumol's 2020's, it stands out for its transparency and delicacy rather than the density and concentration of the rest of the portfolio. It offers delicate scents of fresh apples and quince, toast, pie crust, spring blossoms and a stony undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate is bright, spicy and energetic, with a gently oily texture that drives the long, mineral finish. Drink it on its own, or paired with a wide range of dishes, over the next 3-5 years. Best After 2022
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Deep, keenly focused and beautifully controlled with vibrant, ripe apple fruit in full evidence at every turn, this is a complete and carefully crafted Chardonnay that is as energetic as it is rich. It boasts fine continuity and length with well-measured oak lending a nice bit of complexity without ever impeding its expression of precise varietal fruit. It is moderately full-bodied and impeccably balanced with the firm underbelly of a wine destined to keep for a good half-dozen years, yet its enjoyment is not conditional on further age.
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.