Wine Tasting at The Donum Estate

With the Easter weekend, I decided to take a break from a Saturday journey to San Francisco, and instead drive up through Sonoma county for some good food and wine tasting. This culminated with dinner at acclaimed restaurant Terrapin Creek Cafe, which you can read about here. To break up the morning and afternoon tasting, I selected Guiso Latin Fusion in downtown Healdsburgh for lunch.

View from the Donum Estate entrance
2017 The Donum Estate. Carneros, CA

The first stop today was at the Donum Estate, located in the Carneros American Viticultural Area (AVA) that straddles both Napa and Sonoma counties. Just north of the San Pablo Bay (i.e. the northern bay in the Bay Area), the cool winds and fog results in a micro-climate much cooler than a few miles north in Napa or Sonoma. This makes it perfect for cooler temperate varietals, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Driveway of the Donum Estate
2017 The Donum Estate. Carneros, CA

Pulling in to the Donum Estate's driveway, the first thing one sees is a giant head maybe 100 yards up the driveway where the driveway splits in two. The right branch heads up to the private residence, while the left branch heads to the tasting area.

Scattered around the vineyard you will find many sculpture pieces, which is a nice addition to the undulating terrain. Later, having spoken with Mr. Clark who led my private tasting, I came to find out that they are actually owned by one of the owners of the winery.

He or she was looking for a place to exhibit the collection, and thus worked with the founder of Donum to exhibit them on the grounds. The result is both a beautiful aesthetic, and a welcome diversion from a day of wine tasting. My suggestion is to make time available to stroll through the sculpture gardens, and enjoy the collection.

Sadly, my day was completely booked, so I had to press on and get down to the business of tasting wine. Pulling up to the wine tasting building, I was greeted by the aforementioned Mr. Clark who would be leading my tasting. He led me to a delightful private tasting room, consisting of a decent sized table  in a dining room overlooking the vineyard with large windows. Positioned on the table were five bottles - one Chardonnay and 4 Pinot Noir - that would be sampled today.

Private tasting room at the Donum Estate
2017 The Donum Estate. Carneros, CA

First up was the 2015 Carneros Estate Grown Chardonnay, made from grapes from one of the blocks on the estate. This Chardonnay is highly drinkable, with excellent balance. Medium bodied, I noted nice acid with green apple notes. Complimenting this was a certain creaminess, with undertones of butter and oak there were not out of balance with the fruit and mineral elements.

Batting second was the 2014 Ten Oaks Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. A lighter ruby red, this wine offered a great nose. On the palette, this wine was nice and light with great structure. Flavors were balanced, with delightful raspberry notes, along with undertones of earthy soil.

Third up was the 2013 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, grown from vineyards in the northern reaches of California Wine country. Subtle acidic notes really caused this wine to leap on the palette, which really convey nicely the cherry notes and subtle dryness.

Next was the 2013 Carneros Pinot Noir, sourced from grapes grown on the estate. Sporting a darker ruby red color, the bouquet offered a delightful nose of fruit and hints of baking spice. On the palette, this wine provided nice cherry notes with a subtle undertone of sour apple, and hint of tannin.

The final wine on the tasting list was the 2013 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Also sporting a dark ruby red color, the bouquet also featured a nice balance of fruit notes and baking spice. This wine was fruit forward, with undulating notes of cherry and currant, balanced nicely with subtle notes of soil and hints of that baking spice.

While enjoying the last wine on the tasting menu, one of the other employees leading tastings had stopped over and lamented the fact that someone had accidentally opened a bottle of the 2013 Russian River Valley Reserve Pivot Noir. Of course we couldn't let that opened bottle go to waste, so Mr. Clark ran to the other tasting room and grabbed it.

Pouring tasting flights for the two of us, we both noted the 2013 reserve compared with the other wines tasted previously. Also sporting a dark ruby red color, I noticed the nose was a bit more delicate compared with the younger vintage. Excellent structure, I noted both subtle fruit and a hint of oak. A touch of acid also really caused the flavors to shine on the palette. A sublime tasting of one killer Pinot Noir.

Upon finishing the last drop of the 2013 Reserve Pinot, I reflected on the totality of my tasting here at The Donum Estate. All the wines were of the utmost quality, with tremendous balance and great flavor profiles. The Chardonnay was not your typical Napa-style Chardonnay dripping with oak and butter, but was balanced with fruit and mineral elements, perfect for a medium bodied fish. The array of Pinot Noir was exceptional, making for great tasting as one can try from various parts of California Wine Country that have their own soil and micro-climate flourishes. The crown jewel of the tasting was that 2013 Reserve, which was absolutely  incredible.

Combine the excellent wine with a delightful tasting setting, and excellent customer service that went above and beyond; I really hit it out of the park with my first selection. I picked up 6 bottles (2 Chardonnay, 2 Carneros Pinot and 2 Russian River Pinot), and did something I rarely do... joined their wine club! If I can get another vintage of that reserve Pinot Noir that is anything like the 2013, then the cost will have been well worth it.

Tasting details
Date: April 15th, 2017
Tasting Price: Cannot recall, but most like $30; waved with purchase
Reservations: The Donum Estate, cannot accept walk-ins, so reservations are necessary