2008 Pinot Noir Ryan

The medium ruby-hued 2008 Pinot Noir Ryan is fashioned from Dijon clones and the California clone called “The Martini Selection.” A crisp, elegant, fresh Pinot, it offers notes of rhubarb, candied cherries, pomegranate, sassafras and hints of herbs and spice, but not the size of the Aidan. Consume it over the next 7-8 years. 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