| Score: |
92 WA.
"The 2014 Chardonnay Russian River has a classic baked apricots and apple pie-laced nose with nuances of roasted nuts and buttered toast. Medium to full-bodied and richly fruited, it has a seductive touch of oiliness to the texture and great vitality, finishing a little spicy. Around 60-65% of the grapes used for DuMOL are estate grown with vineyards on Sonoma Coast and at Flax Estate in Russian River Valley, equating to around 18,000 cases total production. Andy Smith has been the viticulturalist and winemaker at DuMOL for 19 years, although he has had considerable experience elsewhere, having worked spates at Dry River in New Zealand and Littorai on the Sonoma Coast. His crafting of the Chardonnays and Pinots at DuMOL has edged notably towards a more elegant and refined style over the years. Until 2013, he was also making Cabernet-based wines at Larkmead in Napa Valley. Not wanting to let go of all that experience and the challenge of making great Cabernet Sauvignon, this year DuMOL will for the first time release a new Napa Valley wine: a 2014 blend of two cooler AVAs, Spring Mountain and Coombsville. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a blend specifically of these two sub-regions, but as readers will see from my tasting note, it works!" Wine Advocate #229, Feb 2017 |