The 2012 Chardonnay Isobel (980 cases) comes from 31-year-old vines planted in the Charles Heintz Vineyard, and spent 13 months in 39% new oak. It offers classic notes of tangerine oil, apple blossoms, caramelized citrus and a wet stone minerality. Full-bodied with terrific fruit purity and a subtle hint of oak, it should drink well for 7-8 years. The clonal material is California clone 4.

The 2011 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard has clear botrytis inflections that add sweetness and viscosity, even though the wine comes in at 13% alcohol. Hints of apricots, jasmine, white flowers and spices are layered into the long, textured finish. In 2011 the Isobel is all about subtlety, grace and elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2023. Winemaker Andy Smith describes 2009 as a “sweet, forward vintage,” while 2011 is more “dynamic and commercial.” Smith reserves his highest praise for 2010, which he calls his favorite among the three current vintages. In 2011, Smith bulked out 20% of his Pinot Noirs, including the entire production of the Eoin. All the 2011 Pinots came in before the rains. Smith used whole clusters only for the Aidan, as botrytis was an issue in all the other Pinot vineyards. The Charles Heintz Chardonnay came in after the rains. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste the 2011 Syrahs, as the final blends had not yet been put together at the time of this tasting. In broad terms, the DuMol Chardonnays are all fermented and aged in barrel, with no lees stirring. Some of the wines are aged in slightly larger 300-liter barrels, and at times the malolactic fermentations are partly blocked, which results in wines that are texturally rich but also full of energy, a combination that is rare and hard to achieve. The single-vineyard Pinots spend 14-15 months in barrel on their fine lees, while the Syrahs get a few more months in oak. At their best, the Pinots and Syrahs are compelling.Tel. (925) 254-8922

The 2010 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard is racy, elegant and perfumed. The long growing season yielded a focused wine that nicely balances richness and minerality. Hints of dried apricots, pears, light floral honey and herbs add complexity in the bright, focused finish. Here, too, there is a touch of botrytis that adds complexity. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Winemaker Andy Smith describes 2009 as a “sweet, forward vintage,” while 2011 is more “dynamic and commercial.” Smith reserves his highest praise for 2010, which he calls his favorite among the three current vintages. In 2011, Smith bulked out 20% of his Pinot Noirs, including the entire production of the Eoin. All the 2011 Pinots came in before the rains. Smith used whole clusters only for the Aidan, as botrytis was an issue in all the other Pinot vineyards. The Charles Heintz Chardonnay came in after the rains. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste the 2011 Syrahs, as the final blends had not yet been put together at the time of this tasting. In broad terms, the DuMol Chardonnays are all fermented and aged in barrel, with no lees stirring. Some of the wines are aged in slightly larger 300-liter barrels, and at times the malolactic fermentations are partly blocked, which results in wines that are texturally rich but also full of energy, a combination that is rare and hard to achieve. The single-vineyard Pinots spend 14-15 months in barrel on their fine lees, while the Syrahs get a few more months in oak. At their best, the Pinots and Syrahs are compelling.Tel. (925) 254-8922

The 2009 Chardonnay Isobel Charles Heintz Vineyard is a cool, vibrant wine loaded with tons of minerality. Despite its freshness and vibrancy, the fruit is quite extroverted. Mango, white flowers, tangerine and pistachio are layered into the energetic, pointed finish. Exotic floral notes linger in the empty glass. This is another highly expressive Chardonnay from DuMOL. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. This is a very strong set of wines from DuMOL and winemaker Andy Smith. Like so many producers, DuMOL is in the midst of a stylistic shift that began around 2005. Smith described some of the estate’s earlier wines as a bit too heavy. Today’s approach emphasizes picking a bit earlier than in the past and places greater emphasis on complexity, structure and acidity. At times, the malolactic fermentations are blocked. The Chardonnays are barrel fermented and aged in oak (50% new) with all of their lees, but there is no stirring of the lees.Tel. (925) 254-8922; www.dumol.com

The 2008 Chardonnay Isobel (all from the Charles Heintz Vineyard’s 27-year old vines) exhibits a light straw/green hue as well as a stunning nose of caramelized lemons, orange blossoms, nectarines and hints of tropical fruits and honeysuckle. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and powerful, it should drink well for 7-8 years. I would have to rank DuMol as one of my favorite half dozen producers of California Chardonnay as well as one of the top twenty in terms of Pinot Noir. Moreover, their Syrah program is also impressive. For unknown reasons, I did not get to taste any Viognier, which I have also loved. The 2008 Chardonnays are all performing as well if not better than they did from barrel last year. Winemaker Andy Smith told me that both he and proprietor Kerry Murphy believe 2009 is their best vintage yet for Pinot Noir, which is certainly saying something. The 2009s do look impressive, but at this early stage, I would not rate them higher than several other recent vintages. That, of course, is debatable given the fact that just about everything at this winery has been stellar since I first started tasting them.Tel. (925) 254-8922; Fax (925) 254-8942