Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From an estate-farmed property in the Russian River, this otherwise Carneros-based producer shows it can handle different conditions with aplomb, taking its foot off the pedal a touch in terms of power and concentration in this wine. Floral, soft and silky, it remains complex in red and black berry, with handfuls of truffled earth.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
*One Star* Bright and alive with lots of vital, young, red cherry fruit played against modest oak and touches of dried brush in the nose, the Ten Oaks bottling is at once velvety and vital on the palate as well, and its wonderfully continuous flavors exhibit altogether striking precision and length. It is as well-balanced as any of the Donum efforts and ever so slightly lighter on its feet than most, and, while its combination of richness and real grace makes it a Pinot that is easily approached now, it is structured to keep and improve for several years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Donum lets the vineyards do the talking for them, and they have a low alcohol (13.4%) cuvee called the 2012 Pinot Noir Ten Oaks. Its dark ruby color is followed by notes of pomegranate, red currants, sweet cherries and incense. Medium-bodied, pure and elegant with a hint of wild strawberries, it is reminiscent of a premier cru Beaune. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.