| Region of production: | Russian River Valley AVA, Sonoma Coast AVA |
| Winery Location: | Windsor |
| Year Established: | 1996 |
Vineyard Holdings
10 ha
- Coffee Lane Vineyard: East-facing ridgetop in Green Valley, west of Highway 116. Calera, Swan, Pommard, and 943 clones on Goldridge soil. Planted in 2004.
- O’Connell Vineyard: East-facing vineyard at 300 feet, 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Calera and 943 clones on Goldridge soil. Planted in 2005.
- Occidental Road Vineyard: Located in the Santa Rosa Laguna plains.
- Wildrose Vineyard (1.2 ha): East-facing vineyard parcel at 1,400 feet above sea level on Goldridge soil. Planted in 2000.
- Joy Road Vineyard: South-facing vineyard at 1,000 feet above sea level with Wilson Grove soils. Planted in 2004 and farmed by DuMOL since 2010.
- Widdoes Vineyard: East-facing, dry-farmed vineyard in western Sebastopol (Green Valley AVA) at 150 feet with Goldridge soil. Planted in 1984.
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Estate Vineyard (Russian River Valley AVA): Currently sourced entirely from Coffee Lane Vineyard. Inaugural vintage 1994.
- Widdoes Vineyard Ryan (Russian River Valley AVA)
- Finn (Russian River Valley AVA): Blend from O’Connell and Occidental Road Vineyards.
- Highland Divide (Russian River Valley AVA): Blend from O’Connell and Coffee Lane Vineyards.
- Joy Road Vineyard (Sonoma Coast AVA): Formerly called “Connor.” Inaugural vintage 2009.
- Wester Reach (Russian River Valley AVA): Blend of numerous iconic vineyards including Occidental, Ritchie, and DuMOL’s estate vineyards. Inaugural vintage 2016.
- Wildrose Vineyard Aidan (Sonoma Coast AVA)
Average Total Production
- 180,000 bottles
Summary
Restaurateur Michael Verlander and entrepreneur Kerry J. Murphy founded DuMOL in 1996 along with winemaker Max Gasiewicz, whose children Duncan and Molly inspired the brand’s name. The winery began with a small production of 300 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from Dutton Ranch. Tragically, Max passed away after only two vintages. Paul Hobbs became the winemaking consultant, bringing winemaker Andy Smith with him. Born in Scotland, Andy had studied enology in New Zealand before moving to California, where he worked first at Littorai before joining Paul Hobbs. Andy became the full-time winemaker at DuMOL in 2000, then a partner in 2005. In 2008, Kerry Murphy purchased Verlander’s share of the company. A new winery in Windsor was completed the same year.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The densely-planted vineyards are managed with sustainable and organic methods. Fruit is hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard prior to arriving at the winery. Partial whole clusters are used in long fermentations, with limited punchdowns. DuMOL uses 300- to 500-liter, light-to-medium toast barrels, up to 60% new.
Producer Website: DuMOL