DuMOL Highland Divide Chardonnay 2018

“The 2018 Chardonnay Highland Divide is a wonderfully deep, fleshy wine loaded with Russian River intensity and plenty of structure to match. Lemon confit, almond, dried flowers, chamomile and mint all open up. The Highland Divide offers quite a bit of depth and pure power. I loved it. The Highland Divide is focused on coastal vineyards at elevation. In 2018, the blend is 58% Morelli Lane and 42% Jentoft. Drinking window: 2021-2028. 93 points

My tastings at DuMOL are usually pretty epic, as I sample two vintages of pretty much the entire range. The pandemic made a visit this year impossible, so this report focuses on the bottled 2018s. The wines are brilliant across the board, just as they were from barrel. Winemaker Andy Smith describes 2018 as a year with moderate temperatures, especially at harvest time, which allowed for picking tiny sections of vineyards in small, separate passes. From top to bottom, this is an impressive lineup.”

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (05/21)