Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023
James Suckling 94 Points | So smooth, silky and lush yet fresh, balanced and lively, too. Lots of baked apples, lemon zest and creme brulee on the palate. Long, linear and expansive in the finish.
Jeb Dunnuck 93+ | The appellation wine and calling card of the house, the 2023 Chardonnay Wester Reach is fresh on the nose, with notes of light flint, lime zest, bright flowers, white pepper, and green apples. It has a compact feel but with electric energy and a fantastic oily citrus texture on the finish
The Wine Advocate 93 Points | The 2023 Chardonnay Wester Reach is blended from several vineyards including Flax, El Diablo and Heintz. Grapes were harvested September 14 to October 14, and the wine was matured for 11 months in 27% new French oak barrels, followed by four months in tank. It has enveloping aromas of peach, lemon peel, custard, toast and matchstick. The full-bodied palate is satiny and mouth-coating with concentrated flavors. It’s balanced by taut acidity and has a long, luxuriously creamy finish.
Vinous 92 Points | The 2023 Chardonnay Wester Reach is laced with hints of tangerine peel, crushed rocks, white pepper and mint. Bright acids lend tension and nuance throughout. This is a fine introduction to the range.
The Wine Spectator 91 Points | Offers firm, generous notes of apple, pear and lemon up front, with accents of citrus zest and details of green tea, spices and toasted almond. Additional notes of apricot pastry, fennel seed and kumquat come in on the finish, with solid acidity and a lingering note of almond skin. Drink now. 4,600 cases made.
Winemaker Description
Our “Wester Reach” Chardonnay is a multi-layered interpretation of this classic region where we live and farm vines. It includes some of the finest sites in the appellation - vineyards that we have planted, farmed, and harvested for over twenty-five years. Comprising four of our region’s unique sub-districts, the wine blends fruit from the valley itself with vineyards further west, stretching out to the coolest ‘reaches’ of the appellation’s high elevation coastal ridges. Each district contributes something unique, be it valley-floor richness, ridge top acidity or coastal vibrancy.
The late and cool 2023 vintage is among the greatest winegrowing seasons in modern Californian history – in fact, arguably the finest ever – and each vineyard performed toward its maximum potential. It was a drawn-out season with zero heat concerns, so the fruit was able to hang on the vine, building nuance and intensity while retaining acidity and crystalline purity. The wines will drink beautifully soon after release and gain complexity in the bottle for many years.
Soaring aromatic intensity blends white flowers, thyme, aniseed, ginger, and citrus fruits. The wine is wonderfully engaging with flavors akin to lime juice, white peach, hazelnut, and briny green olive. The palate is taut yet deep and resonant, with mineral acidity cutting through its natural richness and broad texture. It has great drive throughout and really fans out on the finish to leave a lingering echo of citrus oil and oyster shell intensity. Drink between 2025 and 2033.
Memo Summary Notes
The DuMOL "Wester Reach" Chardonnay 2023 is the estate's "calling card"—a masterful blend designed to showcase the diverse terroirs of the Russian River Valley. This vintage comes from what many winemakers are calling a "once-in-a-lifetime" cool, late growing season that allowed for incredible depth and crystalline purity.
The 2023 season was exceptionally cool and drawn-out, providing electric acidity and high aromatic intensity with zero heat-stress concerns.
Pairs beautifully with high-end seafood like halibut with lemon-caper butter, lobster thermidor, or scallops with a ginger-soy glaze. It also complements creamy poultry dishes.
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