2008 Ritchie Vineyard Chloe Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
Green-gold. Leesy aromas of pear skin, baking spices, orange pith and brown butter, with a suggestion of white flowers. Big, rich and sappy, but with a firm spine of acidity adding focus to the vivid orchard fruit and candied citrus flavors. Picks up weight with air, finishing with superb length and lingering notes of smoke, bitter citrus and minerals. This is still pretty young. Two-thirds of this fruit, which is all Wente clones according to Andy Smith, came from the Ritchie vineyard.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
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