Jenna Davis, winemaker at DuMOL grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Her fascination with horticulture and microbiology met an early visit to California wine country and a long term interest in wine and a storied career path to winemaker at DuMOL. Jenna studied fermentation science at Ohio State University and brewed for a local microbrewery. After graduating, she interned at Opus One and Spottswoode in Napa Valley, and later went down under at Oakvale Wines in Hunter Valley, Australia. In 2014, she returned to the U.S. and worked harvest for DuMOL while earning her Masters in Vit & Enology from UC Davis. DuMol hired her as Assistant Winemaker in 2016, and 2024 as lead winemaker. You can reach Jenna at media@dumol.com https://dumol.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, memorable about your winery brand?
The first vintage of DuMOL was 1996, a Pinot Noir made from one of the oldest Pinot Noir plantings in the Green Valley of the Russian River. A special site farmed by the Duttons – a 6th generation local farming family. In 2004, DuMOL is a young, up-and-coming winery working on its 9th vintage of Sonoma Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was time to choose a path- continue to purchase grapes from reputable growers or begin planting and farming our sites. We took the daring leap to begin planting our estate vineyards. We found a 20-acre plot on beautiful classic sandy loam soils, on a soft east-facing hillside, tucked in the fog-covered, coastal ridgelines of this unique pocket of Sonoma. It is a great honor to have the opportunity to plant a vineyard. Andy Smith, our Winegrower & Proprietor wanted to move the needle, do something different, learn something. We decided to plant one of the highest-density vineyards in California. A technique common in the old vineyards of Burgundy, but very uncommon in California. A typical vineyard is planted to 1,300 vines per acre compared to our Estate which is 3,630 vines per acre. The rows are narrow, the vines are small and low to the ground, and the roots penetrate deep into the sandstone bedrock. This extreme type of farming impacts everything we do and drives the style of the wine. We have a special tractor to fit down the rows, special picking bins, and all the work takes longer. But all of this is worth the outcome in the wine. The clusters are small, the berries are tiny with thick skins, and the wines are truly unique to our land and pocket of Green Valley of the Russian River.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained. Sky’s the limit!
If time and resources were endless, I would love to continue to dive deeper into regenerative farming. We already apply many of these practices, but I would love to expand this philosophy on a larger scale. Buy more surrounding land and keep it wild and protected. Establish native plant sanctuaries, monarch butterfly gardens, and an organic produce farm that we could donate to the local food pantries. The neat thing is that many of these goals are possible and attainable in the future of DuMOL. But like all good things, takes time and patience.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
I chose our 2022 Highland Divide Pinot Noir. This wine showcases the essence and style of DuMOL Pinot Noir. We always aim to make wine that taste of place and time with a balance of concentration, vibrancy and poise. We want our wines to taste of the place they were grown, the vintage they endured, and strike a balance between deep richness of flavor and bright lifted freshness. This wine comes from three distinct parcels of our now-30 acre, high density estate. The first small parcel on the top of the slope on richer clay soils gives the wine a deep, dark core; the mid-slope parcel on shallower soils gives the wine texture and spice; and finally, a parcel at the bottom of the slope that sits in the cool coastal breeze and fog of the Pacific gives the wine a fresh, blue fruited zest. This wine showcases the uniqueness of our high-density estates and the beautiful balance obtained from blending these neighboring parcels. This is one of my favorite wines of the vintage and is only available to members through our allocation list. Click here to read this wine review.
Bonus Question – Why Winemaking?
Winemaking is a thrill. There are not many careers left where you get to make something with your hands, from raw ingredients to a finished product for people to enjoy. Most winemakers come into the career after being exposed to drinking great wines. I found wine through my passion of horticulture and science. Craft beer, food, furniture, and all high-end hand-made products share many aspects with winemaking, but only wine has the distinct and critical connection to the vintage it was grown. Each bottle of wine is a snapshot of a specific spot on the earth, grown in a specific climate that can never be recreated again. You may have a long winemaking career and only get the opportunity to make 30 vintages. Only 30 chances to learn, grow and improve. Every year is different. The rainfall varies, the vines are older, the temperatures are different, and the chemistry and flavor of the grapes will reflect this. We develop very intimate knowledge of the land we farm. We then get to take each small parcel of grapes that we have delicately manicured throughout the year and create a wine that reflects that place. It is hard, physical work with long demanding hours, but the reward and feeling of accomplishment that comes from MAKING something, is unparalleled. It gives you a drive to do better every year and continue to improve. It’s good fun too!