2008 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

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