DuMOL
Andy Smith has turned out a striking set of wines at DuMol. Over the last few years Smith seems to have settled into a more relaxed, comfortable style at DuMol that is helped by not having to divide his time between DuMol and Larkmead, as he once did. Smith is picking a bit earlier and going for more freshness and energy in the wines. The results are truly spectacular. There are many, many highlights in this range. ANTONIO GALLONI
This small and well-respected estate started in 1996 and was the brainchild of three friends who wanted to make wine as a hobby - how many times have you heard that story only to find a few years later it has all ended in tears! This time the story is a better one as DuMol is now considered one of the best small batch, high quality producers in California. Perhaps the difference came with the 1999 hiring of viticulturalist and winemaker, Andy Smith. His resume at that stage was peppered with stints at some of the New World's best addresses including Littorai, Dry River, Havens and Mt Pleasant, all of which equipped him with the necessary skills to manage a high quality, small batch setup profitably.
Fast forward to now and Smith is a partner in the operation and DuMol is making wines from their own estate fruit (the highest density plantings in North America) in Russian River and then sourcing from various other sub-zones of Northern California including Napa (for Cabernet) through to other areas of Sonoma County. PWS
This small and well-respected estate started in 1996 and was the brainchild of three friends who wanted to make wine as a hobby - how many times have you heard that story only to find a few years later it has all ended in tears! This time the story is a better one as DuMol is now considered one of the best small batch, high quality producers in California. Perhaps the difference came with the 1999 hiring of viticulturalist and winemaker, Andy Smith. His resume at that stage was peppered with stints at some of the New World's best addresses including Littorai, Dry River, Havens and Mt Pleasant, all of which equipped him with the necessary skills to manage a high quality, small batch setup profitably.
Fast forward to now and Smith is a partner in the operation and DuMol is making wines from their own estate fruit (the highest density plantings in North America) in Russian River and then sourcing from various other sub-zones of Northern California including Napa (for Cabernet) through to other areas of Sonoma County. PWS
