Still young and unevolved, the 2008 Pinot Noirs are restrained and slightly less impressive and concentrated than the 2007s at a similar age. They all appear to have outstanding potential with the exception of the generic Russian River cuvee. The latter wine possesses lots of sweet cola-infused berry fruit. The 2008s are softer than the 2007s. The heat spikes that occurred in September appear to have given these wines a more forward, plump style without the definition and minerality found in the 2007s. I will wait until the wines are in bottle to provide more extensive tasting notes. (Not yet released)With highly committed proprietor Kerry Murphy and talented winemaker Andy Smith, DuMol continues to be one of the most reliable names in winedom for high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Moreover, consumers should not overlook their top flight Viognier and blockbuster Syrahs. All of the Chardonnays are barrel-fermented and spend 18 months on their lees with monthly stirring. The percentage of new French oak used varies from around 45% to 55%. The Pinot Noirs are kept on their lees for about 15 months, and the percentage of new oak ranges from 40% to 60%. The clonal material comes from old California selections such as Calera, Swan, and Martini as well as newer Dijon clones such as 115 and 777. As I reported in issue #180, the cool growing conditions in 2007 produced some of the finest Chardonnay fruit that winemaker Andy Smith had ever seen. The 2008 Chardonnay crop was average in size, but produced very tiny berries. All the wines had relatively slow malolactics (not unusual at this winery).Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942

A seductive, luscious Pinot Noir in the making is the 2007 Pinot Noir Russian River. The good news is that there are 2,700 cases of this wine, which exhibits sweet plum and black cherry notes intermixed with forest floor, cloves, and spice. The wine is rich, fresh, medium to full-bodied, and long. This is a blend of five or so vineyards, and also a blend of not only Dijon clone material but also old California heritage clones such as the Martini, Calera, and Swan. This wine should drink nicely for 4-5 years. (Not yet released)This is one of the superstar sources of tremendous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and increasingly, Syrah and a tiny bit of Viognier. Proprietor Kerry Murphy and his brilliant winemaker, Andy Smith, are huge fans of Burgundy and have searched out some of the coolest climate regions of the Russian River and Sonoma Coast to produce these wines, which all show impressive aging potential, although certainly the 2006s, now that they are in bottle, are decidedly less impressive wines overall than the lofty heights that were achieved in 2004, 2005, and of course, 2007. Tasting through the 2006 Chardonnays proves that DuMOL did as good a job as anyone in this vintage, but the wines seem to have lost some of their exuberance in going from barrel to bottle. The 2007s, products of a very cool growing year as well as some of the best fruit that winemaker Andy Smith has ever seen come into the winery, look terrific. About one-third of the entire Pinot Noir production from DuMOL was sold off in 2006 because of the difficulties of heat spikes and botrytis. The wines in bottle are somewhat more muted and decidedly less impressive than I had hoped they would be, and to me seem well behind the brilliant quality of the 2005s and 2004s, or the promising 2007s. When I asked the winemaker, Andy Smith, about percentages of oak and pH levels for the 2007s, he told me that most of the 2007 Pinot Noirs were in the 3.4-3.5 pH range, which is relatively low. The percentage of new oak for all the Pinots was around 40-50%. As for the Chardonnays, rarely did they exceed 60% new oak, and most of that is largely concealed by the richness of those wines.Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942