California: Donum Estate Replants and Expands

(Wines&Vines) - More than a decade ago, when Anne Moller-Racke set about turning what had been part of the old Buena Vista ranch into an estate dedicated to Pinot Noir, she used a variety of clones to build the wine in the vineyard.

She planted clones for aromatics, certain flavors and structure thinking of the final blend. Today, Moller-Racke said that while clone selection is important, understanding the dynamics of a particular vineyard site is even more crucial.

She has tended the vines at the Donum Estate in the Carneros AVA for more than a decade and has worked in vineyard development and management in Carneros for 30 years. “I think site is way more important than anything else,” she said. “I think site is the driving part.”

 A dozen years

 Moller-Racke has overseen the Donum property since 2001, when the German firm Racke, which is owned by her ex-husband’s family, retained a 147-acre property after selling Buena Vista Winery to Allied Domecq. In December of 2011, Racke sold the estate to Winside Inc., an investment group comprised of a small set of Danish partners.

 Moller-Racke remains Donum’s president and winegrower, and the winemaker is Dan Fishman, who came to the winery as an intern and trained for several harvests under former winemaker Kenneth Juhasz, who still consults at the winery. Prior to selling to Winside, Donum contracted the 20-acre Angel Camp vineyard in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley in 2011, and in December of 2012 the winery acquired a 16-acre Russian River vineyard.