2010 Du MOL Pinot Noir Eoin
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Tasting notes
(made from fruit grown in the Sonoma Stage vineyard; 40% new oak): Bright ruby. Sexy, intense perfume of red berry liqueur, Asian spices and incense, with a smoky topnote. Sappy, penetrating and pure, offering juicy raspberry and cherry flavors that put on weight in the glass. Suavely blends richness and vivacity, with excellent clarity of flavor. Alluringly sweet and seamless in texture, with superb length.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Pinot Noir Eoin Stage Vineyard jumps from the glass with exuberant dark red fruit, smoke, tobacco, licorice and incense. At times a touch gamy and wild, the 2010 nevertheless has plenty of fruit, not to mention tremendous appeal. The style is juicy and forward, yet structured. Freshly cut roses and violets add lift on the finish. Winemaker Andy Smith used 30% whole clusters here, but the 2010 is really about balance and harmony first and foremost. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Eoin Stage Vineyard jumps from the glass with exuberant dark red fruit, smoke, tobacco, licorice and incense. At times a touch gamy and wild, the 2010 nevertheless has plenty of fruit, not to mention tremendous appeal. The style is juicy and forward, yet structured. Freshly cut roses and violets add lift on the finish. Winemaker Andy Smith used 30% whole clusters here, but the 2010 is really about balance and harmony first and foremost. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Winemaker Andy Smith describes 2009 as a “sweet, forward vintage,” while 2011 is more “dynamic and commercial.” Smith reserves his highest praise for 2010, which he calls his favorite among the three current vintages. In 2011, Smith bulked out 20% of his Pinot Noirs, including the entire production of the Eoin. All the 2011 Pinots came in before the rains. Smith used whole clusters only for the Aidan, as botrytis was an issue in all the other Pinot vineyards. The Charles Heintz Chardonnay came in after the rains. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste the 2011 Syrahs, as the final blends had not yet been put together at the time of this tasting. In broad terms, the DuMol Chardonnays are all fermented and aged in barrel, with no lees stirring. Some of the wines are aged in slightly larger 300-liter barrels, and at times the malolactic fermentations are partly blocked, which results in wines that are texturally rich but also full of energy, a combination that is rare and hard to achieve. The single-vineyard Pinots spend 14-15 months in barrel on their fine lees, while the Syrahs get a few more months in oak. At their best, the Pinots and Syrahs are compelling. Tel. (925) 254-8922