I’ve had only fleeting encounters with Carneros stalwart Donum’s excellent wines over the years. So when I was invited to taste with Donum‘s current winemaker Dan Fishman in the late summer (of 2024), I jumped at that chance [full disclosure: their current CFO is a friend of mine].
Founded in 2001 and known nearly as much for its impressive art installations as its wines, Donum Estate sits on 220 acres, farming vines planted between 1990 and 2018. Interestingly, their winemaker Fishman came up through the ranks at Donum in a manner that has become rarer and rarer in the, well, rarefied world of high-end Napa and Sonoma producers. Fishman was an intern for five vintages under former winemaker Kenneth Juhasz, after working at a custom crush facility where Donum was a client. So in some ways Donum was, according to Fishman, “my very first job” in winemaking (he also shares my observation that “it’s hard to move up” in a similar way in winemaking these days, as well as the relative rarity of having a full-time winemaker without the use of a consultant).
Fishman took over head winemaking duties in 2012, and in 2019 was given charge of the state vineyards, ushering in their transition to organic farming (they achieved CCOF Organic Certification in 2022). He calls their efforts regenerative farming, which in some ways echoes Biodynamics “without some of the more mystical stuff.” as for the impetus behind the move, Fishman told me that “it was based on wine quality. After seven years, we’d worked everything we could [in the cellar], and needed to take the fruit to the next level.”
The payoff, according to Fishman, is being able to achieve consistent concentration without having to drop as much fruit, which helps in their early-ripening site by Carneros standards (in 2022, they picked before the heat wave hit the area). Since they also don’t get a lot of fog by Carneros standards, the wind and the overall vine health also help. Another benefit: more consistent native yeast fermentation (“I don’t want to have to inoculate anything anymore,” Fishman insisted).
Donum’s regenerative farming also produces 225 tons of compost a year; thankfully, their wines more closely imitate their art installations than their compost generation…
2022 Donum Estate Chardonnay (Carneros, $75)
The 2022 vintage is named “Year of the Tiger” on the labels, and this Chardonnay does a nice impression of the power and elegance that we’d romantically associate with that big cat. Lively and floral, it saw 1/3 new oak fermentation and offers up white peaches, yellow apples, ripe lemons, and a touch of brioche. The fruit is bold, but the texture has a delicate nature, balancing out the power of the fruit and enhancing the wine’s long, mineral finish. Puuurrrrrrrr…
2022 Donum Estate Pinot Noir (Carneros, $95)
Kicking off with aromas of light spices, rhubarb, tea leaf, black raspberry, and notes of earthy mint, this stellar red pulls a 180-degree turn in the mouth: the fruit gets much darker, and the structure it presents is formidable. However, a few moments later this thing gets downright cuddly, with a savory, concentrated, broad mouthfeel, closing off with a lengthy, sassafras-infused finish.
2022 Donum Estate ‘Three Hills’ Pinot Noir (Carneros, $95)
Sourced from multiple blocks of their estate vineyard that have more east-facing slopes, a bit of whole cluster goes into this vibrant Pinot. Spicy and earthy, it leads with lifted scents of black tea and wild berries. Ample spices, tea-like tannins, and savory, dark red berry fruit all dance on the palate; it’s a not a jig per se (it’s far more elegant than that), but it’s still damned jaunty.
2022 Donum Estate ‘TFV’ Pinot Noir (Carneros, $95)
Sourced from a site very near where the `80s BV winery sat (“we sometimes just take the ATV down there,” Fishman admitted, “you don’t even need the car”), where the soils are rich with cobblestones, this is a powerful, assertive, and fresh red. Blackberry, blueberry, baking spices, and minerals slowly emerge from a tightly-wound nose. Plenty of structure and concentration greet you on the palate (even for fruit hailing from vines that are 60+ years old). The fruit is big, but not upfront, and it prefers to push its savory notes to the fore. Refined and gripped-up like a clenched fist, this one will be even better in a few years’ time.
Cheers!