With Savoy Vineyard, Donum has achieved this highly regarded certification of all five Estate vineyards across four AVAs in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
SONOMA, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / March 3, 2025 / The Donum Estate, a leader in Northern California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is pleased to announce the achievement of Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) status of their iconic Anderson Valley vineyard, Savoy. Savoy Vineyard joins Donum's four other ROC™ Estate vineyards in Carneros, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast.
The Donum Estate acquired Savoy Vineyard in June 2023 and achieved ROC™ status by December 2024. Honoring its rich legacy as an exceptional vineyard, Donum transitioned Savoy from organic to regenerative organic farming to further enhance the ecosystem, develop better balance of the vines, and ultimately, elevate wine quality.
Their stewardship of the land is expanded upon by Vice President of Vineyards & Winemaking, Dan Fishman, "Donum has made a commitment to regenerative organic farming across all of our properties, with everything that we grow. Regeneratively farmed grapes bring energy and vibrancy to the wines. We wanted to bring that to Savoy as well, taking an already iconic vineyard and increasing the quality of fruit and resulting wines."
Donum has implemented several key regenerative organic practices, including revising the fungicide spray program, eliminating the use of sulfur dust, and seeding cover crop blends tailored to the vineyards' different soil types. Additionally, they introduced sheep grazing for the first time in the history of Savoy, which stimulates the cover crop and increases mineral cycling in the vineyard. As Donum continues to work with Savoy, they will apply their learnings and further evolve their regenerative organic practices.
"The quality of the wines from Savoy are consistently outstanding year after year and it is truly a grand cru site that makes wines of complexity and depth. These older historic vineyards such as Savoy need to be preserved and regenerative organic farming is a tremendous step in creating overall soil health and plant health. In turn this will help maintain productivity in the vines and the high wine quality for many years to come." Jeff Mangahas, VP, Director of Winemaking, Williams Selyem
"With each growing season, there is an opportunity to learn more about the vineyard, adapting and improving our practices to better care for the soil and vines. This ultimately leads to more site-expressive wines," says Tony Chapman, Senior Director of Winegrowing.
Donum is poised to release their first wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from Savoy Vineyard in the fall of 2025.
About Donum
Founded in 2001, Donum's terroir-driven wines reflect the energy and complexity of some of the most celebrated regions in Northern California including the Russian River Valley, Carneros, Anderson Valley and Bodega. Donum achieved the highest level of organic certification as one of the first wineries in Sonoma County to achieve Regenerative Organic Certified® status for all of its Estate vineyards. Donum is also California Certified Organic Farming Association (CCOF) certified-Donum, in fact, is Latin for Gift of the land-and using biodynamic and regenerative organic farming practices creates environments in which its vines can thrive and produce the highest-quality fruit as possible. Located in the acclaimed wine region Carneros nestled between Napa and Sonoma Counties, the Donum Estate includes a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, contemporary hospitality experience, an organic farm, and one of the largest accessible private sculpture collections in the world. At the intersection of fine wine, sustainable farming and world-class art, Donum connects a global community and creates holistic sensory wine experiences that have made it an international destination.
About Savoy Vineyard
Planted in 1991 by Richard Savoy, Savoy Vineyard is located toward the Northern end of Highway 128, ideally situated between the junction of Gowan Creek and Navarro River in the heart of the renowned Anderson Valley. The cool climate vineyard has built a reputation for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, consistently offering a harmonious combination of concentration and elegance in its wines.
For more information, please visit www.thedonumestate.com.
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Contact Information
Tim McDonald
Wine & Spirits Spoken Here
tim@winespokenhere.com
707-363-0174
SOURCE: WINE AND SPIRITS SPOKEN HERE
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