Bright golden. The most pronounced color of a Russian River bottling from DuMOL ever. Tasting in its prime. Lush mouth feel, highlighted vanilla wood, poached pear, with a very long finish. Best of their non-vineyard designation Chards.
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PnP. Very much unlike my tasting on 5/26/22. First thing I noticed was the different color. This bottle is a deeper gold, not unlike other Russian River Chardonnays I've had, and in contrast to the pale-straw, Sauvignon-Blancy color of the same wine on 5/26/22. Cork was good, and bottles have identical provenance (natural 55-65 underground root cellar). Oxidized hazelnut element on the nose, and not in a good way, a la Kistler "Les Noisetiers," which I've always enjoyed. There's some good acidity and pineapple upside-down cake behind the predominant oxidized hazelnut. Ugh.
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My last bottle of this vintage, and it seems to have improved in the few years since my previous bottle. Brought this to a family dinner and it was a big hit.
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It's been five and a half years (!) since I've had this wine. Very drinkable, but has peaked since my last note on 12/14/2016. Pale straw; nearly sauvignon blanc-ish. Faint pineapple, green apple, a one-table-away lightly buttered toast, and a distant, floral honeysuckle, but far more reserved than my last note. Midweight palate has a light viscosity, and vibrant acidity. Does improve with air. Lovely, restrained chardonnay, but lacking the presence it had a few years ago.
(Three days later...) Didn't realize I had some left in the fridge. Still good.
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Lemon in color. Drank over 3 nights, used the Coravin Pivot to access it and it remained pristine. Sweet lemon, pineapple, and crisp apple. Excellent concentration balance and complexity to an entry level blend. Delicious!
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This was a really delicious bottle just like our first one. It showed no signs of being tired and delivered lots of drinking pleasure. Keep it chilled a bit for best results.
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Would recommend giving this 45 minutes to open up. We did PnP, second glass was perfect. Would also recommend drinking now, it may be beginning to lose just a bit of crisp brightness
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Alluring nose of apricots, apples, melons and honey. Medium to full-bodied chardonnay - never had a DuMol that hasn't that. Good acidity that led to a long finish with a bit of spiciness. In the first glass I drank, there was a mild oaky flavor, which went very well with Ultimate Crab Cakes from Fresh Market topped with Joe's Stone Crab signature sauce. In the second glass, the oak flavor was even less discernible, though the flavor remained rich and mouth-coating to the end. Very pleased to have a half case of the 2014s left to try over the next several years.
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Disappointing. Opening aromatics of tart lemon, lemon zest and citrus. Not offensive, but the wine never evolved from that point, even after an hour and transition from 55 degrees to room temperature. Palate and finish had the same, singular tart lemon/citrus. Short finish, with a lemony after taste. Hopefully just this bottle, but would recommend moving on to a more recent vintage.
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Pear on the nose with some citrus on the approach. Nice overall, agree that this is in its peak window. Last bottle but if I had more I'd drink during 20-21
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Very much the same as my bottle in January, but the heat seemed dialed up a notch so I am scoring this one lower. Maybe I’m perceiving it differently and/or my preference has dramatically shifted, but I think I may have been a little generous on my previous rating. 4+12+16+8= 90
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Very light gold color with a bright reflection and medium legs. No sediment. I agree with the prior notes of citrus and tropical fruits along with a hint of waxy banana and marshmallow cream in the bouquet and palate. But it is very long and persistent with only a slight and occasional reminder that it is a riper, California bred-and-born Chardonnay. Needed about an hour of air and showed best to my taste just below cellar temp (about 50-52deg) 5+12+18+8= 93
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Light yellow, pineapple , citrus, tropical fruit with fresh and clean finish. Less butter and oak than the single vineyard designated wines. Very nicely done.
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Buttery, nutty, fairly weighty California Cab with a heavy dose of oak. This had a nice viscosity and offered a strong foil to crab cakes with creamy polenta.
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My first 2 bottles of DuMol Chardonnay ever. Shared this with my wine group at a NYC steakhouse. Everyone liked it. A few commented on its buttery oaky taste, calling it an old fashioned California Chard.
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New Arivals California 2018 (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Peachy, buttery, rich, plenty of oak. In the mouth it's tangy and fleshy but a bit flabby and there is a touch of bitterness, especially on the finish. Obviously a fair amount of wine making here but this isn't for me and certainly not at AUD 120 a bottle...
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Consistent, year in and year out. In the glass, clear gold. On the nose, citrus and honeysuckle notes. On the palate, equal parts fruit, minerals, and oak, with a smooth texture.
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pretty good if you accept/expect the style. Lots of oak on the nose. Honey, orange peel and butterscotch. Not over-big perhaps and stays sane, but big and bold for sure. 90 pts
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An unlikely Christmas present from my offspring. Simply put, this is an awesome wine. Fairly deep straw color, perfumed aroma hints of oak and vanilla, lush on the palate, slightly nutty, unctuous, yes a little of that butter but not overly much.
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Drank with oysters last night. Very yummy, had almost that Chablis-esque minerality but a little riper and fuller. Was feeling slightly under the weather so didn't get a great chance to get the aromatics and palate notes. Excited to try the next bottle in a year or two.
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Pale straw gold. The memory of a very good 2013 Hartford Fog Dance Chardonnay consumed last night provides a lingering comparison; this wine is not as full bodied, viscous, or fruity as the Hartford. Light on its feet, this wine offers deep honeysuckle aromas, a whiff of lemon, and some bright acidity on the palate, with some crisp green apple notes. Oaky vanilla components are there but in the background, offering a subtle accompaniment as opposed to the melody. Very focused and improving with air; I suspect this wine will be better in a year or two. Current crowd average of 91 feels right to me.
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This is a rather forward Chardonnay with lively but broad acidity, an abundance of ripe dense tropical fruit and some notes of oak. The denseness in the fruit is lower on the palate than on the nose. The finish is dominated by acidity but there is also an ever so slight bitterness.
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Popped and poured. Wonderful chardonnay aroma. Deep golden color. Medium bodied, rich wine. Everything you want in a chardonnay. Nice fruit, light oak.
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Popped a bottle to evaluate. Young, but some good stuff going on. Butter that's not cloying, vanilla on the nose and a long citrus finish. Heavy mouthfeel. Will be a big bold chard, but will wait at least a year to open another bottle. 90-92 now, should get better with time.
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11/27/2023 - Jmrobotics Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delightful.
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11/2/2023 - SommWineExp Likes this wine: 96 Points
Bright golden. The most pronounced color of a Russian River bottling from DuMOL ever. Tasting in its prime. Lush mouth feel, highlighted vanilla wood, poached pear, with a very long finish. Best of their non-vineyard designation Chards.
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11/29/2022 - RAD wrote: flawed
PnP. Very much unlike my tasting on 5/26/22. First thing I noticed was the different color. This bottle is a deeper gold, not unlike other Russian River Chardonnays I've had, and in contrast to the pale-straw, Sauvignon-Blancy color of the same wine on 5/26/22. Cork was good, and bottles have identical provenance (natural 55-65 underground root cellar). Oxidized hazelnut element on the nose, and not in a good way, a la Kistler "Les Noisetiers," which I've always enjoyed. There's some good acidity and pineapple upside-down cake behind the predominant oxidized hazelnut. Ugh.
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9/25/2022 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last bottle of this vintage, and it seems to have improved in the few years since my previous bottle. Brought this to a family dinner and it was a big hit.
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5/26/2022 - RAD Likes this wine: 89 Points
It's been five and a half years (!) since I've had this wine. Very drinkable, but has peaked since my last note on 12/14/2016. Pale straw; nearly sauvignon blanc-ish. Faint pineapple, green apple, a one-table-away lightly buttered toast, and a distant, floral honeysuckle, but far more reserved than my last note. Midweight palate has a light viscosity, and vibrant acidity. Does improve with air. Lovely, restrained chardonnay, but lacking the presence it had a few years ago.
(Three days later...) Didn't realize I had some left in the fridge. Still good.
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9/6/2021 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lemon in color. Drank over 3 nights, used the Coravin Pivot to access it and it remained pristine. Sweet lemon, pineapple, and crisp apple. Excellent concentration balance and complexity to an entry level blend. Delicious!
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8/15/2021 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was a really delicious bottle just like our first one. It showed no signs of being tired and delivered lots of drinking pleasure. Keep it chilled a bit for best results.
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6/19/2021 - Beezc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well.
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4/18/2021 - RJWallis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Would recommend giving this 45 minutes to open up. We did PnP, second glass was perfect. Would also recommend drinking now, it may be beginning to lose just a bit of crisp brightness
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3/26/2021 - RJWallis Likes this wine: 91 Points
Time to drink this one. Still beautiful nose and fresh crispness on the palate but finish is super short and fading.
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3/5/2021 - mouton45 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Alluring nose of apricots, apples, melons and honey. Medium to full-bodied chardonnay - never had a DuMol that hasn't that. Good acidity that led to a long finish with a bit of spiciness. In the first glass I drank, there was a mild oaky flavor, which went very well with Ultimate Crab Cakes from Fresh Market topped with Joe's Stone Crab signature sauce. In the second glass, the oak flavor was even less discernible, though the flavor remained rich and mouth-coating to the end. Very pleased to have a half case of the 2014s left to try over the next several years.
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9/14/2020 - brianofthevine wrote: 91 Points
Green apple, peach, and pear fruit. Notes of honey, firm acidity, long finish.
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5/15/2020 - wineguy1968 Likes this wine:
This was delicious. Peach melon nice silky mouth feel . Wish i had more
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4/17/2020 - jshufelt wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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3/18/2020 - sfbikeguy wrote: 89 Points
Had the 2013 last week at a dinner party and it was a favorite beating out the 2012 Isabel with the same group. The 2014 was not exciting. Drink up.
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3/12/2020 - vino_per_tutti wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. Opening aromatics of tart lemon, lemon zest and citrus. Not offensive, but the wine never evolved from that point, even after an hour and transition from 55 degrees to room temperature. Palate and finish had the same, singular tart lemon/citrus. Short finish, with a lemony after taste. Hopefully just this bottle, but would recommend moving on to a more recent vintage.
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1/1/2020 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pear on the nose with some citrus on the approach. Nice overall, agree that this is in its peak window. Last bottle but if I had more I'd drink during 20-21
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12/21/2019 - sfbikeguy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice bottle. A prior bottle had some tartness. This one was very pleasant. Time to drink. Don't see this getting better.
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12/6/2019 - sfbikeguy wrote: 91 Points
Needs to be open for 40 min to lose its tartness. After that it was nice.
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11/10/2019 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank over 3 days with the third being the best. Great depth of flavors that include citrus and tropical fruits. No defects and lots of character.
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7/21/2019 - fingers Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very much the same as my bottle in January, but the heat seemed dialed up a notch so I am scoring this one lower. Maybe I’m perceiving it differently and/or my preference has dramatically shifted, but I think I may have been a little generous on my previous rating. 4+12+16+8= 90
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2/12/2019 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous tasting notes.
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1/28/2019 - fingers Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very light gold color with a bright reflection and medium legs. No sediment. I agree with the prior notes of citrus and tropical fruits along with a hint of waxy banana and marshmallow cream in the bouquet and palate. But it is very long and persistent with only a slight and occasional reminder that it is a riper, California bred-and-born Chardonnay. Needed about an hour of air and showed best to my taste just below cellar temp (about 50-52deg) 5+12+18+8= 93
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12/27/2018 - Doc Shannon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bonita loves this.
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12/2/2018 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light yellow, pineapple , citrus, tropical fruit with fresh and clean finish. Less butter and oak than the single vineyard designated wines. Very nicely done.
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12/1/2018 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Touch of butter on the nose, but like Aubert all tropical fruit and pineapple. Less oak. More elegant and neutral.
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11/7/2018 - hllam wrote: 92 Points
butter, honey,
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8/27/2018 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 91 Points
delicious, lush, bright sweet pineapple, oak could settle a little more, but nice finish
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8/26/2018 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with my previous tasting note.
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7/18/2018 - jviz wrote: 92 Points
Buttery, nutty, fairly weighty California Cab with a heavy dose of oak. This had a nice viscosity and offered a strong foil to crab cakes with creamy polenta.
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5/15/2018 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Consistent with previous tasting note.
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2/15/2018 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
My first 2 bottles of DuMol Chardonnay ever. Shared this with my wine group at a NYC steakhouse. Everyone liked it. A few commented on its buttery oaky taste, calling it an old fashioned California Chard.
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2/10/2018 - chatters wrote:
New Arivals California 2018 (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Peachy, buttery, rich, plenty of oak. In the mouth it's tangy and fleshy but a bit flabby and there is a touch of bitterness, especially on the finish. Obviously a fair amount of wine making here but this isn't for me and certainly not at AUD 120 a bottle...
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12/18/2017 - burgundylover wrote:
Dunns
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9/15/2017 - jshufelt wrote: 92 Points
Consistent, year in and year out. In the glass, clear gold. On the nose, citrus and honeysuckle notes. On the palate, equal parts fruit, minerals, and oak, with a smooth texture.
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8/17/2017 - il_diavolo wrote: 90 Points
pretty good if you accept/expect the style. Lots of oak on the nose. Honey, orange peel and butterscotch. Not over-big perhaps and stays sane, but big and bold for sure. 90 pts
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7/26/2017 - BMCKIE99 wrote: 92 Points
Very Nice! Maybe a tad too buttery but that's why I got it in the first place!
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7/21/2017 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
An unlikely Christmas present from my offspring. Simply put, this is an awesome wine. Fairly deep straw color, perfumed aroma hints of oak and vanilla, lush on the palate, slightly nutty, unctuous, yes a little of that butter but not overly much.
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5/8/2017 - millennialwinegeek Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank with oysters last night. Very yummy, had almost that Chablis-esque minerality but a little riper and fuller. Was feeling slightly under the weather so didn't get a great chance to get the aromatics and palate notes. Excited to try the next bottle in a year or two.
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12/14/2016 - RAD wrote: 91 Points
Pale straw gold. The memory of a very good 2013 Hartford Fog Dance Chardonnay consumed last night provides a lingering comparison; this wine is not as full bodied, viscous, or fruity as the Hartford. Light on its feet, this wine offers deep honeysuckle aromas, a whiff of lemon, and some bright acidity on the palate, with some crisp green apple notes. Oaky vanilla components are there but in the background, offering a subtle accompaniment as opposed to the melody. Very focused and improving with air; I suspect this wine will be better in a year or two. Current crowd average of 91 feels right to me.
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11/6/2016 - Ultimatewinekick_Andreas wrote: 89 Points
This is a rather forward Chardonnay with lively but broad acidity, an abundance of ripe dense tropical fruit and some notes of oak. The denseness in the fruit is lower on the palate than on the nose. The finish is dominated by acidity but there is also an ever so slight bitterness.
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9/9/2016 - LoveCO Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured. Wonderful chardonnay aroma. Deep golden color. Medium bodied, rich wine. Everything you want in a chardonnay. Nice fruit, light oak.
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5/20/2016 - EstimatedEyes Likes this wine:
Popped a bottle to evaluate. Young, but some good stuff going on. Butter that's not cloying, vanilla on the nose and a long citrus finish. Heavy mouthfeel. Will be a big bold chard, but will wait at least a year to open another bottle. 90-92 now, should get better with time.
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