Carneros Estate Chardonnay 2022
Carneros Estate Chardonnay
Carneros Estate Chardonnay
Brioche-Key Lime with vanilla-infused honeydew melon.
Bright gold with a hint of ripe pear, clear and brilliant in the glass. The viscosity moves calmly and evenly, not a show effect, but controlled power. It looks like liquid sunlight with composure, not a loud Hollywood filter.
Lemon and key lime open, crisp as the first cut into green wood. Green apple follows, behind it pineapple and a hint of honeydew melon. French oak brings vanilla, fine smoke, and brioche, more like freshly toasted sourdough bread than sweet pastry.
Creamy opening, then immediate tension on the tongue. Ripe stone fruit, some tropical sweetness, buttery warmth, but cleanly captured by fresh acidity. The texture feels like polished limestone, smooth, cool, with grip. The finish leaves citrus oil, salt, and subtle wood spices.
100 percent Old Wente clone from Carneros, fermented in French oak, 42 percent new. Small lots, no industrial uniformity. This Chardonnay combines Californian ripeness with Burgundian discipline. Power with the handbrake on. Precisely this balance makes it rare and unique.
Where award-winning single-vineyard Pinots and Chardonnays meet art by Ai Weiwei, Anselm Kiefer, and Louise Bourgeois.
The Donum Estate was founded in 2001 by German winemaker Anne Moller-Racke – with the conviction that nature is a gift (Latin: donum). With dedication, she developed the now award-winning winery in the Sonoma-Carneros region and laid the foundation for a Burgundian-inspired style. Today, Donum encompasses over 25 individual vineyards, each with its own microclimate and character, noticeably expressed in its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In 2011, Danish entrepreneurs and art collectors Allan and Mei Warburg took over the winery and established the Donum Collection. Since then, over 50 large-format sculptures by international artists have shaped the estate. Interiors and vine landscapes merge into a walkable gallery. Particularly impressive is Ai Weiwei's "Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads," which depicts the Chinese zodiac signs amidst the vines and adorns the winery's bottle label each year. Works by Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, and Anselm Kiefer make a visit feel like a museum experience without walls.
Today, the vineyards span approximately 137 hectares – divided into four Californian regions: Carneros, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Anderson Valley. Each vineyard is cultivated, harvested, and vinified individually. The goal: to bring the authentic and pure character of each site into the bottles. Every wine is a work of art, driven by a clear idea: the gift of nature, in its most beautiful form.
Other wines from the winery
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Carneros Estate Chardonnay
2022
Donum Estate, California#preciseCreamy, precise, and salty.79,00 €105,33 € / L79,00 €105,33 € / L -
Carneros Estate Reserve Chardonnay
2021
Donum Estate, California#creamyCool, creamy, and precise.129,00 €172,00 € / L129,00 €172,00 € / L -
Thomas Pinot Noir
2022
Donum Estate, California#powerfulPowerful, silky, and earthy.225,00 €300,00 € / L225,00 €300,00 € / L -
Russian River Reserve Pinot Noir
2021
Donum Estate, California#concentratedDense, silky, and precise.169,00 €225,33 € / L169,00 €225,33 € / L -
Carneros Estate Pinot Noir
2022
Donum Estate, California#juicyJuicy, silky, and deep.89,00 €118,67 € / L89,00 €118,67 € / L
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Carneros Estate Chardonnay
2022
Brioche-Key Lime with vanilla-infused honeydew melon.
Bright gold with a hint of ripe pear, clear and brilliant in the glass. The viscosity moves calmly and evenly, not a show effect, but controlled power. It looks like liquid sunlight with composure, not a loud Hollywood filter.
Lemon and key lime open, crisp as the first cut into green wood. Green apple follows, behind it pineapple and a hint of honeydew melon. French oak brings vanilla, fine smoke, and brioche, more like freshly toasted sourdough bread than sweet pastry.
Creamy opening, then immediate tension on the tongue. Ripe stone fruit, some tropical sweetness, buttery warmth, but cleanly captured by fresh acidity. The texture feels like polished limestone, smooth, cool, with grip. The finish leaves citrus oil, salt, and subtle wood spices.
100 percent Old Wente clone from Carneros, fermented in French oak, 42 percent new. Small lots, no industrial uniformity. This Chardonnay combines Californian ripeness with Burgundian discipline. Power with the handbrake on. Precisely this balance makes it rare and unique.