Fall Release DuMOL Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
2018

Winemaker’s Notes

In the finest Pinot vintage in our 25-year history, this is the greatest expression yet of our high-density Estate Vineyard. I feel like this is the wine these vines have been patiently waiting to produce since planting. What sets this vintage apart from its excellent predecessors is a purity of fruit, unparalleled in intensity, verve and detail. It’s fruitier than previous vintages, with more mineral and less herbal nuances, as we altered our leaf canopy management in 2018, allowing the shoots to grow longer prior to summer trimming. This revised method slowed vegetative growth, restricting the vines’ energy and, ultimately, elevating the fruit quality. The result is a wine of authority and presence that is clearly just beginning its journey.

A selection from the highest knoll-tops of our Estate Vineyard, the wine has a deep dark fruitiness that is unique: black cherry, anise, violet and sweet spices—pure, lively, succulent aromas. The palate possesses beautiful concentration with a seamless velvety texture that marries perfectly with bright crunchy acid. Penetrating blackberry and cassis notes find all corners of the palate as the flavors drive toward a single focal point, sleek and focused with nuance to burn.

This pure, sappy, captivating wine will live long in the memory. Don’t hesitate to tuck a few bottles away in a cool cellar for 10+ years; the rewards will be great. I recommend buying in magnums, the perfect format for slow evolution. Drink between mid 2021 and 2032. Bottled unfiltered.

Andy Smith