2008 Ritchie Vineyard Chloe Chardonnay

My favorite 2008 DuMol white is the 2008 Chardonnay Chloe, which comes primarily from the Ritchie Vineyard’s 36-year old parcel planted with the old Wente clone. A big, extroverted perfume of orange rinds, citrus oil, lychee nuts, quince and white currants intermingled with a hint of crushed rocks soars from the glass of this dry, full-bodied Chardonnay. With exuberant fruit intensity, a structured mouthfeel and amazing length, it should drink well for a decade or more. I would have to rank DuMol as one of my favorite half dozen producers of California Chardonnay as well as one of the top twenty in terms of Pinot Noir. Moreover, their Syrah program is also impressive. For unknown reasons, I did not get to taste any Viognier, which I have also loved. The 2008 Chardonnays are all performing as well if not better than they did from barrel last year. Winemaker Andy Smith told me that both he and proprietor Kerry Murphy believe 2009 is their best vintage yet for Pinot Noir, which is certainly saying something. The 2009s do look impressive, but at this early stage, I would not rate them higher than several other recent vintages. That, of course, is debatable given the fact that just about everything at this winery has been stellar since I first started tasting them. Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942