DuMOL’s 2024 Wester Reach Pinot Noir is a Russian River Valley blend built from four sites—Flax Estate (33%), Dr. Galante Estate (26%), Dutton-Jentoft (21%), and Occidental Road (20%). It’s 100% Pinot Noir, fermented with 25% whole clusters using native yeast, then aged 11 months in 228L French oak (30% new), followed by three months in tank before being bottled unfiltered. Production is 4,500 cases.

The vintage story points to a wine shaped as much by restraint as by ripeness: DuMOL reports a wet winter, mild spring, and hot July, with “gentle harvest temperatures” that allowed steady ripening. The winery says no irrigation was needed, though crop thinning was, and that moderate berry size helped deliver “an intense fruit core and fresh balancing acidity.” Harvest ran from August 21 to September 12, 2024.

Critical reception is strong, led by two excellent 94-point reviews. Jeb Dunnuck’s Audrey Frick (94) emphasizes the wine’s youthful, red-fruited direction and structure, calling it “more red-fruited, minty, and floral in profile,” with “spicy pomegranate fruit, refreshing acidity, and excellent structure,” and suggesting a 2026–2038 window. The Wine Palate (94) similarly leans into lift and precision, describing “bright, cheery notes of cranberry preserves and juicy raspberries,” plus “rose bud tea, wild sage, and wet slate,” finishing with “very soft tannins and a red-berry lift.”

Vinous’ Antonio Galloni (91) is a touch more measured but still clearly positive, calling it “a very pretty, elegant wine” with “crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, chalk, mint and crushed rocks,” and praising it as “a wine of detail and nuance.” He advises, “Give it a year or two to soften a bit,” which fits the overall picture: medium-bodied Pinot Noir that prioritizes freshness, perfume, and line over overt weight, and should reward short cellaring. DuMOL’s own drinking window is 2026–2034.