2016 DuMOL Pinot Noir Joy Road Vineyard

From a high density 2004 planting in the Sonoma Coast on pure sand soils, the 2016 Pinot Noir Joy Road Vineyard is rounded, seamless, and incredibly charming, even at this young age. Light red fruits, pomegranate, violets, and wild strawberry notes flow to a medium-bodied 2016 that has outstanding length and balance. Drink it over the coming 5-6 years. I still remember tasting with Andy Smith while I was writing The Rhône Report and I was thrilled to be able to sit down and go through all of his wines on this occasion. Stylistically, Smith makes a fresh, vibrant style of wine, yet I never find them lacking for depth and or texture. Looking at the Chardonnays, these are made in a reductive, age-worthy style and the clear majority have distinctly Burgundian profiles. These are beautiful wines that, at least to my palate, surpass the quality of the Pinot Noirs, which are slightly more variable. Nevertheless, the top Pinot Noirs are certainly up with the crème de la crème of the region. While Andy favors a tight, age-worthy style of Chardonnay, the Pinot Noirs are made in a slightly more forward style. In addition to the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, DuMOL also produces a handful of world-class Syrahs, as well as one of the top examples of Viognier coming out of California. Both the 2015s and 2016s reviewed here are terrific wines, with the 2016s showing slightly more balance and elegance, but you can’t go wrong with either vintage here.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Connor (from Joy Road Vineyard) is scented of red cherry compote, raspberry leaves and baking spices with suggestions of faded roses, dusty soil and garrigue. Medium-bodied with great intensity on the palate, it gives bags of red berries and earthy layers with a chewy frame and an invigorating, perfumed finish.

Black cherry, plum, spice, smoke and leather notes give the 2016 Pinot Noir Connor Joy Road Vineyard a distinctly dark, sumptuous personality. This is an especially concentrated, potent Pinot Noir from Du Mol. It will be interesting to see if the 2016 acquires more finesse over time. Today it is a bit monolithic and dense. The Connor was done with fully destemmed fruit.