At the Donum Estate, our pursuit of excellence and ensuring quality in all that we do begins with stewardship of the land —Donum, in fact, is Latin for gift. We believe that in order for the vines to produce the highest-quality fruit possible and yield a true expression of the land, it is critical to start with healthy, living soils.

Farming Practices

We are committed to regenerative organic farming practices and products that respect the soil, the many organisms that call our vineyard home, and the surrounding land. Donum’s regenerative organic practices include soil enrichment, integrated pest management, and encouraging biodiversity in and around the vineyards. Specifically, this includes brewing and applying compost tea, incorporating sheep, chickens and ducks for weed and pest management, and producing and utilizing biochar.

After years of work to refocus on long-term sustainability and soil health, we have achieved organic certification of our several Estate vineyards by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) organization and Regenerative Organic Certified® by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). These achievements represent the beginning of a generational commitment to working in harmony with nature to grow the best possible wine grapes, while also giving back more to the land than we take each year.

Vineyards

Donum Estate was founded in 2001 on 190 acres of idyllic, rolling hills in Carneros, and has since expanded to include several Estate vineyards. The winemaking team has an intimate knowledge of each micro-terroir, driving them to produce small-lot, limited-production wines that fully express the nuance and complexity of each vineyard site.

Carneros

Spanning 220 acres, our Estate in Carneros is home to our oldest plantings, the Donum Home, and our Estate winery. Our vineyards cover the rolling hills that rise up from the San Pablo Bay. Divided into over 25 blocks and sub-blocks, the Carneros Estate Vineyards are home to a variety of Pinot Noir clones including a Donum clone as well as "heirlooms" that include Calera, Mt. Eden, Martini, 2A, Pommard, Swan, and Dijon 115 and 667 clones. In addition, the Chardonnay clones include Old Wente, 76, Mt. Eden and Cote d’Or. These Estate Vineyards were planted between 1990 and 2018 and are nurtured and farmed by Donum’s winemaking and vineyard teams.

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Russian River Valley

Planted in 1997 and acquired by Donum in 2013, the Winside Vineyard lies in the heart of the Russian River Valley appellation. This vineyard sits in a warmer microclimate, yielding a richer, more powerful style of Pinot Noir. In 2015, we grafted a small, 2-acre block of Pinot Noir over to Chardonnay, allowing us to bottle our first vintage of Russian River Chardonnay in 2016. The soils in this section are loamy with high sand content allowing for good drainage, which is perfect for Chardonnay. 

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Sonoma Coast

We have two vineyard sites near the Sonoma Coast, Angel Camp Vineyard in Anderson Valley and Bodega Vineyard near the town of Bodega. Angel Camp Vineyard sits on a plateau above the Anderson Valley floor, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. Planted in 2006 to a mix of clones, it is one of our latest ripening sites and yields vibrant wines that tend to be remarkably vintage-dependent in flavor. Work began in 2019 at our Bodega Vineyard, with vines planted in 2020, so it will be several years before we produce wines from this spectacular site.

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Beyond the Vineyards

Our stewardship of the land does not end with our vineyards. The Estate in Carneros includes a regenerative organic certified lavender field, olive tree grove, and plum orchard, along with a robust culinary and cutting garden. This contributes to the holistic sensory experience of our guests, and promotes biodiversity, contributing to healthy soil – a pillar of regenerative organic farming.

Working with local makers, we have created the Donum Home Collection, a tribute to the earthly beauty of the Estate’s natural gifts. From tea and Estate olive oil, to organic lavender-infused culinary salt and honey, these thoughtfully created, authentic expressions of Donum reflect our love of and respect for the land that we nurture.

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