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Fall Release DuMOL Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
2018

Winemaker’s Notes

In the finest Pinot vintage in our 25-year history, this is the greatest expression yet of our high-density Estate Vineyard. I feel like this is the wine these vines have been patiently waiting to produce since planting. What sets this vintage apart from its excellent predecessors is a purity of fruit, unparalleled in intensity, verve and detail. It’s fruitier than previous vintages, with more mineral and less herbal nuances, as we altered our leaf canopy management in 2018, allowing the shoots to grow longer prior to summer trimming. This revised method slowed vegetative growth, restricting the vines’ energy and, ultimately, elevating the fruit quality. The result is a wine of authority and presence that is clearly just beginning its journey. 

A selection from the highest knoll-tops of our Estate Vineyard, the wine has a deep dark fruitiness that is unique: black cherry, anise, violet and sweet spices—pure, lively, succulent aromas. The palate possesses beautiful concentration with a seamless velvety texture that marries perfectly with bright crunchy acid. Penetrating blackberry and cassis notes find all corners of the palate as the flavors drive toward a single focal point, sleek and focused with nuance to burn. 

This pure, sappy, captivating wine will live long in the memory. Don’t hesitate to tuck a few bottles away in a cool cellar for 10+ years; the rewards will be great. I recommend buying in magnums, the perfect format for slow evolution. Drink between mid 2021 and 2032. Bottled unfiltered.

Andy Smith


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DuMOL Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir  - DuMOL

Vineyard

100% DuMOL Coffee Lane Vineyard

Harvest Date

august 31st & september 1st

Appellation

Russian River Valley

Clones

calera, swan & 943

Age of Vines at Harvest

13 years

Barrel Aging

aged 15 months in 45% new french oak barrels from tonnelleries acf, chassin & mercurey.

Production

760 cases of 750mL
40 cases of 1.5L
36 bottles of 3L

Press

98 Jeb Dunnuck, May 2020
96 Wine Advocate, July 2020
95 Vinous Media, May 2021