Leading Carneros Pinot Noir Producer Completes Property Modernization with Contemporary Winemaking Facility
SONOMA, California (November 7, 2018) – The Donum Estate, renowned for its ultra-premium, single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, today announced that its new state-of-the-art winemaking facility will be completed by the end of the year. Designed by San Francisco-based MH Architects, the same team that designed the Donum Home hospitality space that opened in September 2017, the winemaking facility is located on Donum’s picturesque, 187-acre Estate in the Carneros region of Sonoma County, California.
“We have been anticipating the opening of our beautiful new winery for a long time,” said owner Allan Warburg. “After our opening of the Donum Home last fall, this milestone provides a wonderful sense of completion – with hospitality, winery and our beautiful private sculpture collection all on one land.”
The design vision of principal architect Matt Hollis was inspired by the historic farm buildings that are located around the property and on neighboring estates, paying homage to the legacy of the site and the Carneros region. The location of the new winery is exactly where the ranch’s original milking barn was located, as Donum was a dairy farm before the vineyards were planted. This honors the history of the Estate and minimally impacts the land.
The new winemaking facility is a long, linear building wrapped in a perforated metal screen. The perforations vary in size and density, creating a gently meditative pattern that is both functional and artistic, and blends in with the contemporary sculptures that populate the property.
“Making our wine right alongside where our estate grapes are grown has long been a dream of mine,” said Anne Moller-Racke, president and winegrower at the Donum Estate. “Dan and I are so excited to get the first vintage underway in this beautiful new space.”
Donum’s new production facility combines traditional winemaking techniques with state-of-the-art technology to provide the winemaking team with all the tools needed not only to continue producing wines of the highest caliber, but to raise the bar with each vintage.
The two-level facility is built into a sloping hill, taking advantage of the natural topography of the ranch to place the barrel cellar mostly underground, minimizing energy usage. Stainless steel tanks by La Garde are rectangular rather than rounded in order to maximize the usable space in the fermentation room. For the de-stemmer process, Donum implemented the latest technology, Bucher Oscillys, which uses oscillation instead of a mechanical brush to separate the grapes from the stems.
The new production facility will ultimately be able to produce 12,000 cases of wine, anticipating the future when the Estate vineyards will reach full production. The first vintage made in the new facility will be 2019.
Located just off Highway 121 on Sonoma County’s south-eastern edge, Donum was founded in 2001 by industry veteran Anne Moller-Racke. Donum produces the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay crafted by Anne and Donum winemaker Dan Fishman, who ensure each bottle of wine represents a sense of place, time, and terroir. Donum today is not only a place of wine but also art. Mei and Allan Warburg’s private collection of sculptures from recognized global artists, including Ai Weiwei, Zhan Wang, Arturo Di Modica, Fernando Botero, and Jaume Plensa can be visited by appointment. Appointments can be booked by calling 707-732-2200 or by emailing info@thedonumestate.com.
For more information on The Donum Estate, visit www.thedonumestate.com.
About The Donum Estate
Celebrating its 18th vintage, Donum’s mission is to produce highest-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Burgundian grand cru model from Donum’s estate vineyards in Carneros, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley. President and winegrower Anne Moller-Racke, supported by Allan and Mei Warburg, leads a passionate winemaking team that crafts only single-vineyard, single-appellation wines from small lots reflecting each unique, premier vineyard block. Donum comprises of 187 picturesque acres north of San Pablo Bay in the Carneros wine region. Today the property features Allan and Mei’s private sculpture collection with works from world-renowned artists mixed between the vines. Reservations for tastings and tours of the property can be made by visiting www.thedonumestate.com or calling 707-732-2200.
