DuMOL Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
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Connoisseurs'
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep, penetrating aromas emerge from an initial tarry, earthy headiness: black fruits, dark chocolate, graphite and black licorice with an interplay of fresh thyme and tobacco leaf. On the palate, an immediate expansion of rich, pure, black fruits harmonizes with supple, mouth-filling tannins, keeping the wine focused and precise, flickering between fruity and savory notes. There is a vertical drive to the wine that expands through a finish of bitter cocoa, sweet oak and spice. Drink between late 2019 and 2030.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard comes from a site just beside Screaming Eagle and is a selection from vines planted in 1990. Aged 20 months in 75% new French oak, it shows the more elegant side to the vineyard, which normally produces a rich, full-throttle style of wine. Tons of purple fruits, graphite, chocolate, and some obvious minerality all flow to a full-bodied Cabernet that has a stacked mid-palate, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It still has textbook Tench character yet holds onto the more classical, elegant style of DuMol. Drink it over the coming two decades or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard is profoundly scented of creme de cassis, baked plums and blueberry pie with suggestions of tar, licorice, chargrill, crushed rocks and fertile loam plus wafts of baker's chocolate and licorice. Full-bodied, concentrated and chock-full of black fruit and earthy layers, it has a firm, velvety texture and just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering anise note. Rating: 95+
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Connoisseurs' Guide
With a concentrated, moderately intense nose of berries and red currants framed in sweet, mildly crème-brûlée like oak setting the stage and rich, but youthfully tight flavors that follow suit, DuMol’s Tench Vineyard bottling is a deep, still-nascent wine that adheres to classic Cabernet lines. It is not a sprawling wine, but it is ripe and very keenly focused and, while fairly tannic, it finishes with plenty of persistent fruit. It promises good things down the line but is very much in need of patient waiting and asks for a good half-dozen more years in the cellar before it rounds into top shape.
Other Vintages
2015-
Parker
Robert
Respect for the land
DuMOL is a “vineyard up” winery with a fully integrated approach to winegrowing and winemaking. DuMOL planted its high-density estate vineyards and has farmed many of California’s most renowned vineyards for more than two decades.
Commitment to craft
DuMOL sticks to what works and is focused on the fundamentals, finding inspiration in master, visionary producers around the world as DuMOL continually hones its craft—never imitating, ever refining.
Connected on a personal level
This is a project that comes from who the DuMOL team is and what they love. A deep connection is paramount: to the land, the wines, and the customers.
Heritage and experience
Founded in 1996, DuMOL is a latter-day pioneer in the Russian River Valley. Winemaker, Viticulturist and Partner, Andy Smith, farmed the region for nearly a decade before joining in 1999, and Associate Winemakers Julie Cooper and Jenna Davis, and Cellar Master Jaime Eufracio, have over 40 years combined experience at DuMOL.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Situated in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley in the Vaca range, the vineyards of the Coombsville AVA enjoy a long growing season mitigated by cool, San Pablo Bay fog.