DuMOL 2021 Estate Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley 98 Points

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points: “Deep but transparent ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir DuMOL Estate Vineyard is brooding with pine, pure black cherry, and licorice aromas. Medium to full-bodied, it offers bright acidity, ripe warming spice, and pure fruit, with notes of clove and mossy earth floating underneath. Drink 2025-2045.”

Robert Paker 98 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard comes from Swan and Calera selection vines planted in 2004, and it is exceptionally expressive and energetic this vintage. It gains aromatic intensity as it airs in the glass, blossoming from red cherry and Italian plum to allspice, Campari, licorice, and hibiscus. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing, its power derived from highly concentrated fruit, and it boasts a flourish of ultra spicy accents across the long finish.”

Vinous 98 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir DuMOL Estate Vineyard is another magnificent wine in this range. Dark and explosive, the 2021 is packed with black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, new leather and spice. There’s real density, but it is the wine’s explosive energy I admire most. Magnificent. “

TWI 97 Points: “The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is a blend of Calera and Swan clones with a little 943. Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with fragrant notes of wild strawberries, kirsch, and lilacs, followed by hints of dried sage and cracked black pepper with a waft of damp soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with red berry and floral flavors, framed by velvety tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. “

Winemaker Notes: ‘Our original DuMOL Estate Vineyard consists of eight separate blocks spanning its nine acres. Of these blocks, we’ve identified superior quality from three specific parcels. The first two feature sandy/silty soils and face east. Here we find lifted aromatics, lovely fruit purity, and taut acidity. The third parcel has less sand and more clay and has a slight western tilt. The wine here is more muscular, darker fruited with more tannin. One of the core tenets of terroir winegrowing is establishing consistency in vine selection from year to year and identifying unique sub-plots that have something specific, intriguing, and high quality to express. And that’s exactly what we have here – a wine of pure expression, deeply connected to the vines themselves, dynamic and vibrant with depth and elegance in equal measure. Terroir signatures abound. Clearly, as one would expect,  one of the wines of the vintage. 

Soaring aromatic complexity: dark berry fruits, hibiscus, minerals, and herbal/floral notes. With air the wine turns to red fruits and herbal/woodsy characters and the wine’s drawn-out length takes hold. “