Cattleya Wines Donum Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pinot Noir Donum Vineyard is a gorgeously elegant, perfumed and floral Pinot Noir that sports a vibrant, translucent purple color as well as medium-bodied richness, a silky, lively texture, integrated acidity and terrific complexity in its violets, exotic spice, peppery herbs and black cherry/framboise aromas and flavors. From a cooler site that's closer to the bay, in Sonoma County, it saw a small portion of whole clusters during fermentation and was aged in three French oak barrels. Drink this elegant and impeccably balanced Pinot Noir anytime over the coming decade or more.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made with 45% whole cluster, the 2014 Pinot Noir Donum Vineyard shows more earth, stems and darker Pinot Noir fruit, as well as a rich, concentrated, yet elegant and pure style on the palate. This is another serious wine from Bibiana that bucks the upfront nature of the vintage. It opens nicely with time in the glass, has exceptional length, and will be even better in another year or two. There’s only 60 cases made.
Other Vintages
2016-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
In her words: Since my early teenage years, my dream has been to make wine.
At a very young age I was fortunate enough to begin learning how to make wine in France. I trained myself while working with some amazing winemakers who showed me the importance of loving the land, how to respect the farming itself, and to focus on the many details that go into making each drop of wine in each and every bottle.
While studying in Bordeaux and Cognac I learned the required viticulture, enology and microbiology (“wine science”); but most importantly, I was also exposed to the many rituals involved in winemaking–things like pruning, harvesting and bottling–that feel so special and meaningful each season. I told myself that one day a bottle of wine would be infused with the longings of my soul through fruit produced from a specific terroir that spoke to my heart. That place I have found.
As early as the 1970s Carneros became known as a source of terrific Pinot Noir, and was one of the first California regions to gain such a reputation. The combination of sunny days, cooling fog and thin clay soils are tailor-made for the variety. Another factor in Pinot Noir’s prominent place here is vintners’ willingness to experiment widely. The history of the grape in Carneros is marked by continuous research into clonal variations, viticultural techniques and site selection. Careful evaluation over time has revealed a signature flavor profile as well. Complex aromas and flavors of cherry, red berry, spice, earth and cola appear time and again in Carneros Pinot Noir. To this day the appellation remains one of California’s standard bearers for the variety.