2016 DuMOL Chardonnay Lorenzo

I also loved the 2016 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard, which comes from a 1974 planting of old Wente clones located just outside of Sebastopol. This cuvée comes from a slightly higher elevation, sandy portion of the vintage and offers beautiful minerality in its white flower, citrus blossom, mint, and lemon curd aromas and flavors. It’s worth noting the 1996 Marcassin Chardonnay came from this site, and this 2016 is a beautiful, pure, seamless effort that has serious amounts of class. I still remember tasting with Andy Smith while I was writing The Rhône Report and I was thrilled to be able to sit down and go through all of his wines on this occasion. Stylistically, Smith makes a fresh, vibrant style of wine, yet I never find them lacking for depth and or texture. Looking at the Chardonnays, these are made in a reductive, age-worthy style and the clear majority have distinctly Burgundian profiles. These are beautiful wines that, at least to my palate, surpass the quality of the Pinot Noirs, which are slightly more variable. Nevertheless, the top Pinot Noirs are certainly up with the crème de la crème of the region. While Andy favors a tight, age-worthy style of Chardonnay, the Pinot Noirs are made in a slightly more forward style. In addition to the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, DuMOL also produces a handful of world-class Syrahs, as well as one of the top examples of Viognier coming out of California. Both the 2015s and 2016s reviewed here are terrific wines, with the 2016s showing slightly more balance and elegance, but you can’t go wrong with either vintage here.

One of the real standouts in this range, the 2016 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard is simply stunning. Because the Lorenzo is in a small tank, this sample is a bit cleaner than the other tank samples I tasted. As a result, the pedigree and overall quality of the wine is easier to see. Creamy and resonant, with tons of Russian River personality, the Lorenzo is flat out gorgeous. Don't miss it.