Where the wine is as artful as the estate’s famous sculpture collection.
Located at the southern edge of Sonoma about a mile from San Pablo Bay, Donum was established almost 20 years ago – taking its cues from the Burgundian grand cru model, with the goal of producing super-premium pinot noir and chardonnay.
Under the watchful eye of affable Tom Petty-loving winemaker Dan Fishman – a Sonoma native who has been in the role since 2012 – Donum produces a range of single-vineyard estate pinot noir and chardonnay from vineyards in Carneros (home to some of the region’s earliest pinot noir vines), Russian River Valley (where the pinot tends to be bigger, with dark fruit and hints of cola) and Anderson Valley.
The California sun means there’s no issue with ripeness here, so Dan works to balance this by introducing savoury and mineral components to his wines. And with so much site-specific nuance, his pinots are a beautiful expression of the vineyards’ varying vine age, and the subtleties that come from fruit grown in different plots.
Notably, the winery is owned by visionary collectors Mei and Allan Warburg who share a passion for wine and art. The 200-acre property is home to an extraordinary world-class collection of large-scale sculptures and other works from the likes of Yayoi Kusama and Ai Weiwei, along with the original Louise Bourgeois spider, which makes it a must-visit for fellow lovers of wine and art.
