 |
DEAR
FRIENDS
AND DONUMITES
Anne
Moller-Racke - President
& Winegrower
|
|
As
I write this, we have finished
the 2011 harvest. What a
year! This vintage reminds
us of the important role
weather plays in the equation
of good wine. In California,
we are usually blessed with
excellent weather, whereas
our colleagues around the
world have to struggle;
2011 gave us our fair share
of struggling.
The
jury is still out on the
kinds of wines we'll get.
Flavors are beautiful; they
developed early due to a
cool summer and slow ripening.
But skins also need to be
ripe and developed so we
get all they have. Looking
at the wines now that they
are in barrel they show
beautiful depth, great structure
and good mouth feel but
it is still early in the
wine's life.
Have
you seen the recent Pinot
Noir issue of the Wine Spectator?
We are all very excited
that after ten years of
hard work and dedication,
Donum was named as one of
the grand cru vineyards
of California. Our belief
and goal has been validated,
and I'm proud of my team.
After
ten years as part of that
team, Lynda Handley has
decided to take some time
for herself and retire.
I'm happy for her, but it's
hard to see her go. Lynda,
thank you for all you've
done. You will be missed.
Brooke
Gadke has joined us and
will be responsible for
our direct-to-consumer business.
She is a wonderful addition,
with lots of energy, charm
and a great love for wine.
She came to us from Martine
Estate where she also handled
hospitality. Welcome, Brooke.
On
the administrative side,
Patty Ketchum joined us
in September, bringing many
years of accounting background
and a strong work ethic.
A native of Bali, she has
made Napa and the wine business
her home. We're happy to
have her as part of the
team. We are now complete
and ready for the next ten
years. That thought is exciting.
Please
visit us in virtual or direct
form. If I don't see you
before, I wish you and yours
happy holidays.
Cheers,
Anne
|
Watch
regular harvest updates
on our Youtube channel:
click
here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009
Donum Carneros East Slope Pinot
Noir
The 2009 vintage marks the debut
of East Slope Pinot Noir, grown
on a portion of our east-sloping
1-90 vineyard block at the Donum
Ranch. Once again, we are pleased
to use knowledge of our beautiful
topography to identify a distinctive
unit of vineyard.
Bathed
in morning sunlight, East Slope
is one of our cooler sites, and
the Calera heritage selection
of Pinot Noir thrives there. Prone
to uneven set and mixed large
and small berries ("hens and chicks"),
Calera is thicker-skinned than
the old Martini selection, with
some of its delicacy, more richness,
good phenolics, and abundant fruit
and perfume.
Far
from an identical twin, this wine
is a worthy sibling of our West
Slope bottling. East Slope is
a tantalizing wine that is at
once both bright and racy and
rich and luscious.
2009
Donum Carneros West Slope Pinot
Noir
West
Slope comes from the middle portion
of our west-sloping 4-90 vineyard
block, a 5.5-acre site at the
Donum Ranch. The Donum selection
there has always been the mainstay
of our Donum Carneros Pinot Noir.
In most vintages that we have
produced, the wine seemed more
complex when blended with a small
portion of the old Martini selection.
Today, we choose the best barrel
selection from this singular grand
cru block to focus on just the
Donum selection.
2009
Donum Russian River Valley Reserve
Pinot Noir
A
second inaugural release from
the 2009 vintage is our Russian
River Valley Reserve Pinot Noir.
Our source is an 11-acre vineyard
located in the heart of the Russian
River Valley that was planned
and planted by Anne in the mid-1990's.
The
northern and southern extremes
of this vineyard have lighter
soils with less water-carrying
capacity that produce lower vigor
vines, less dense canopies and
smaller crop loads than the rest
of the property. Our Estate Grown
bottling typically is a blend
of Dijon clone 667 and Dijon clone
115 that results in a very pretty,
accessible and elegant wine with
considerable complexity.
For
our new Reserve, we have focused
on just four barrels of 667 clone,
which yields deeply scented, earthy,
dark fruit and excellent structure.
The Reserve combines power with
elegance and is a complete stand-alone
wine that sings in a strong, clear
voice.
2009
Donum Carneros Estate Chardonnay
Carneros
is renowned for stellar Chardonnay,
and this vineyard is a gem. The
selection of 100% Old Wente Chardonnay
came to us as budwood from the
Winery Lake and Larry Hyde vineyards.
It's a charming field selection,
yielding a host of aromas and
flavors from classic apple to
floral, including the occasional
heady perfume of a musque cluster.
|
|
|
|
Pinot Days
Santa Monica, CA
Barker
Hanger
January
15, 2012
This is a perfect
forum to showcase
our Pinot Noirs
info
World
of Pinot Noir
Shell Beach, CA
The
Cliffs Resort
March 3, 2012
A stunning array
of Pinot Noirs and
captivating ocean
views; not to be missed.
info
Family
Winemakers
San Diego, CA
Del
Mar Fairgrounds
March 11, 2012
This is the most comprehensive
tasting of California
wines in the world
and showcases for
the state's small,
family-owned wineries
info
Family
Winemakers
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena
Convention Center
(Trade Only)
March 13, 2012
More fun tasting our
newest selections.
info
Pinot
Days
San Francisco, CA
June
date to be confirmed
A taste-around event
dedicated to our favorite
fickle variety.
info
|
|
|
|
|
96 points
2009 Donum Carneros
East Slope Pinot Noir
This
stunning, red boasts
plenty of both power
and finesse. Aromatic,
offering plumeria,
rose petal, fennel
seed and nutmeg noted,
which give way to
extremely luscious
flavors of juicy plum,
raspberry, cherry
and strawberry. Despite
all the focus and
concentration, this
retains an air of
sophistication, with
elegant, soft tannins.
Drink now through
2018. Tasted twice,
with consistent notes.
109 cases made. --M.W.
96
points
2009 Donum Russian
River
Reserve Pinot Noir
Luscious,
with ripe, juicy strawberry,
raspberry and cherry
compote flavors. Plenty
of grace notes of
brown sugar, allspice,
mineral and tobacco
leaf give this added
complexity, on a smotth
and lush frame. Long
finish. Drink now
through 2025.
100 cases made. --M.W.
94
points
2009 Donum Carneros
West Slope Pinot Noir
Deliciously
complex, featuring
layer after layer
of truffles, loam,
allspice, black tea,
and spice box details
to the ripe, lush
notes of plum, black
cherry and mineral.
Smooth, velevety tannins
give this an elegant
air. Drink now through
2019. 250 cases made.
--M.W.
|
|
|
|
|
|
