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Chenin Blanc, DuMOL, Sonoma Coast CA 2023

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Article code: RP 94 PTS

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Overview

DuMOL Sonoma Coast Chenin Blanc 2023: 94 pts (Wine Advocate). Mineral-driven, textured and age-worthy, with pear, white flowers, flint, beeswax, apricot and vibrant grapefruit-like acidity. Drink 2025–2030; outstanding, limited-production California Cheni

Details

Cellar Tracker 92/100
100% Macintyre Estate Vineyard
285 Cases Total Production

The DuMOL Sonoma Coast Chenin Blanc 2023 has received a small number of professional reviews so far, but the critical response has been very positive.

Critic	Rating	Highlights
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate	94 points	Praised for its concentration, precision, and age-worthiness. This score is listed by the winery as part of the wine's official press coverage.
Jancis Robinson	Reviewed (March 4, 2026)	A professional review has been published, but the numerical score and full tasting note are behind the subscription paywall.

Winery tasting notes

The winery describes the 2023 as its most acid-driven and textural Chenin Blanc to date, featuring:

Asian pear
White flowers
Crushed stone
Beeswax
Flint
Apricot
Herbal nuances
Grapefruit-like acidity
Long mineral finish

The wine is fermented and aged primarily in Austrian foudre with no new oak, emphasizing purity and mineral expression. DuMOL recommends drinking it 2025–2030, noting it should become even more expressive after about three years in bottle.

Overall assessment

Based on the available professional coverage:

Professional consensus: Outstanding California Chenin Blanc.
Known score: 94 points (Wine Advocate).
Style: Dry, mineral-driven, textured, with bright acidity rather than overt fruit richness.
Cellaring: Worth holding for another 2–5 years if you enjoy more developed Chenin characteristics.

This bottling is produced in very limited quantity (about 375 cases) from the MacIntyre Estate Vineyard, which helps explain why relatively few critics have reviewed it compared with DuMOL's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

Winemaker's Notes

In our opinion, great Chenin should combine just-ripe fruit characters with a natural savory edge, and slightly waxy/honeyed richness underpinned by prominent acidity. When these elements are in harmony, the wine will be elevated beyond a simple everyday drinker. With low-vigor soils, a cool coastal climate, impeccable vine material, and sensitive farming, our MacIntyre Estate offers just that. This is one of our favorite wines of the entire 2022 vintage. The remarkable quality bodes well for the development of this grape variety in our region. It has lower acidity but more richness than the 2021 bottling, and the wine appears to have taken on the aromas and flavors of its environment – I swear it tastes like the honey produced by the hives positioned throughout the vineyard.

Complex aromas and flavors of lime oil, sage, Thai basil and lemongrass. Passionfruit, sweet mint and beeswax notes flicker and fade. The wine is immensely textured - deep, oily and viscous – completely unique. As the palate expands its acidity draws out complex elements of flint, fresh herbs and saline notes and then finishes with the character of new spring honey. A remarkable wine. Serve at 55F and drink between summer 2024 and 2028.