At The Donum Estate, our mission is to create authentic expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that best represent the unique terroirs of some of the most acclaimed wine regions in California. Achieving this goal begins with stewardship of the land. Donum, in fact, means ‘gift of the land’. In 2019, we made the generational commitment to work in harmony with nature to grow the best possible wine grapes while also giving back more than we take each year. 

After years of work to refocus on long-term sustainability and soil health, we are proud to announce that our four estate vineyards in Carneros, Russian River Valley, and the Sonoma Coast have achieved Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC®) status by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). To read the full press release, click here. In addition to our vineyards, our lavender, olive trees and plum trees are also regenerative organic certified. ROC® is considered one of the highest levels of organic certification and Donum is one of the first wineries in Sonoma County to achieve this milestone recognition.

Vice President of Winemaking & Vineyards, Winemaker, Dan Fishman and his team are continually implementing new, innovative farming practices to help promote our vineyards’ biodiversity while reducing our carbon footprint. Our practices include soil enrichment through compost and compost tea, a biological active spray used on the soil and canopy, to introduce a vast number of beneficial microbes into our soil, integrated pest management using zero synthetic pesticides and herbicides and encouraging biodiversity in our vineyards by utilizing livestock, such as sheep, to help reduce tractor passes and chickens and ducks to eat ground insects.

Since our team’s commitment 3 years ago, there has been a noticeable difference in the biodiversity of our vineyards. Insects are now returning, our soil quality has improved quickly and though our vigor and crop yields may be lower, we have had to do less hedging and thinning in our vineyards. The resulting fruit is more concentrated in flavor and better balanced.

We are also able to reduce wine processing and eliminate additives in our wines. Instead, Fishman’s team ferments using native yeast sourced from our vineyards to create well-balanced wines yielding maximum complexity and age-ability. Our team's ability to work with nature, not against it, has resulted in some of the region’s most unique, terroir-expressive wines.

This spirit of the Donum Estate land is captured and displayed in our finished wines, yet, has also resulted in an abundance of gifts from lavender, honey, olives and wool. Working with local makers and artisans, we have created the Donum Home Collection - gifts of the land derived from Estate sourced products and ingredients. From organic olive oil, to botanical soaps and blankets, we invite you to explore the collection.