The Donum Estate Debuts New Tasting Room, Sculpture Park

Photo Credit: Margo Moritz

Editor’s note: The smoke from the devastating North Bay fires has finally dissipated, but now comes the hard part—rebuilding the community. In an attempt to do our little part to support our beloved wine country, we’re launching a new series where we highlight a different winery each week.

Photo Credit: Anthony Laurino

The Donum Estate, a world-class producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from one of the Bay Area’s top ten female winemakers, Anne Moller-Racke, has recently debuted a new tasting room, the Donum Home. The gorgeous new hospitality space is where Donum’s team now hosts tastings, which are by appointment only. The building sits at the center of its 187-acre property, located in the Carneros region and borders both Sonoma and Napa. It was designed by San Francisco-based MH Architects with principal architect Matt Hollis and is meant to feel like an elegant old farmhouse. “The Donum Home is intended to inspire tranquility and enhance guests’ focus on the flavor profile of the wines,” Hollis said in a statement. “The building itself stays out of the way, but provides the setting in which visitors can appreciate the multi-layered complexity of Donum wine amid an exquisite natural setting to create a unique, serene and unforgettable experience.”

Photo Credit: Margo Moritz

Five skylights and a 24-foot wide glass wall provide ample light and stunning views of the surrounding landscape which includes neighboring wineries, the San Pablo Bay, and Donum’s sculpture collection. The intimate space is 3,000 square feet of both interior and exterior areas for lounging and sipping wine. “The understated elegance of the Donum Home pays homage to the original farmhouse,” Moller-Racke explained. “By spring of next year, we will also have our cellars located here at the estate.  I have been waiting for this moment for many years–vineyard, cellar and hospitality all on our estate, and our fantastic sculpture park to top it off.”

Photo Credit: Anthony Laurino

As if Moller-Racke’s award-winning wines weren’t reason enough to visit the Donum Estate, the incredible sculpture park only enhances the other-worldly experience. The property is home to almost 30 different sculptures from renowned artists like Ai Weiwei, Yue Minjin, and Keith Haring. Guests are invited to walk the estate, a glass of Pinot in hand, and take in the spectacular grounds and artwork. With green rolling hills, a picturesque lake, and perfectly tended vineyards, the natural beauty of the property is breathtaking. Throw in Arturo Di Modica’s Charging Bull, Richard Hudson’s Love Me, and Zang Wang’s Artificial Rock, massive oversized sculptures of a charging bull, gleaming silver heart, and liquid silver rock respectively, and Donum is a winery truly like no other. It’s a must visit for all wine and art lovers.

The new Donum Home and sculpture park are open daily, but estate tours and tastings require advanced reservation.