2007 Ritchie Vineyard Chloe Chardonnay

The 2007 Chardonnay Chloe (1,200 cases) comes primarily from the Ritchie Vineyard with a small percentage from the Dutton-Morelli Vineyard. Its light straw/green color is followed by aromas of crushed rocks, citrus, poached pears, and baked apple-like spices offered in a rich, full-bodied, structured style. Still young and reserved, it may merit an even higher score with another year of bottle age, and should last for a decade. With highly committed proprietor Kerry Murphy and talented winemaker Andy Smith, DuMol continues to be one of the most reliable names in winedom for high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Moreover, consumers should not overlook their top flight Viognier and blockbuster Syrahs. All of the Chardonnays are barrel-fermented and spend 18 months on their lees with monthly stirring. The percentage of new French oak used varies from around 45% to 55%. The Pinot Noirs are kept on their lees for about 15 months, and the percentage of new oak ranges from 40% to 60%. The clonal material comes from old California selections such as Calera, Swan, and Martini as well as newer Dijon clones such as 115 and 777. As I reported in issue #180, the cool growing conditions in 2007 produced some of the finest Chardonnay fruit that winemaker Andy Smith had ever seen. The 2008 Chardonnay crop was average in size, but produced very tiny berries. All the wines had relatively slow malolactics (not unusual at this winery). Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942