Skip to main content

Spring Release Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2010

Winemaker’s Notes

2010 rivals 2008 as my favorite white wine vintage in recent memory. Across the board the wines are lively, fresh, concentrated and focused. The balance between vibrant piercing fruit, broad enveloping texture and pin-point precise acidity is the hallmark of the vintage. They are wines to drink young for freshness but have the balance to become more complex over six to eight years in the bottle. Our 2010 RRV bottling is a DuMOL classic – the equal of many a previous designate. A strong sense of breezy coastal freshness is its dominant feature. The wine is so alive and intense that it’s a perfect representation of this unusually cool vintage season. Its greatest excitement lies in the deft balance between the various fruit and structural elements – they play off one another beautifully. The fruit itself is brisk and crunchy – slightly more green-shaded than the honeyed style of 2009 and the wine’s underlying richness takes some swirling to coax forth. It’s never too creamy, broad or rich and its natural density is never overbearing or clumsy. It’s simply a beautiful classy wine that is both focused and elegant in its delivery.

Light green/yellow color. Wonderful aromatic range: cantaloupe, grapefruit, green apple, cut grass. Richer almond and oatmeal aromas build with air. Intriguing fennel and spearmint edge. Bone dry tightly-coiled palate. White peach, crunchy apple, sweet lime, with a clean saline edge. Broadening texture as it opens in the glass. Taut acidity brings structure and length. Serve at no cooler than 55 degrees to allow the wine’s breadth to flow.

Andy Smith


to purchase wines join the list

Members, log in to view current allocations or contact us with questions.

Vineyard

25% Charles Heintz Vineyard

11% Dutton Ranch Morelli Lane Vineyard

7% DuMOL O’Connell Estate Vineyard

6% Hyde Vineyard

6% Lorenzo Vineyard

2% Dutton Ranch Hansen Hill Vineyard

2% Joy Road Vineyard

1% DuMOL Kearney Estate Vineyard

Harvest Date

September 8th through October 8th

Appellation

Russian River Valley

Clones

Wente, UCD 108, Mount Eden and 131

Age of Vines at Harvest

36 years

Barrel Aging

Complete malolactic fermentation and 15 months aging in 40% new French oak

Production

4390 cases of 750mL
70 cases of 1.5L
20 bottles of 3L