Dan Fishman waxes pride in talking about the care that goes into making pinot noir from the occasionally maligned Sonoma County. As vice-president of vineyards and winery for Donum, he has the freedom to make special pinot noir that is laser-focused on a specific site from Carneros to the Russian River Valley with a little Anderson Valley. The pinot noirs we tasted from this elite producer are unquestionably extraordinary and different in their own ways, but the attention that goes into the vineyard and winemaking comes at a price.
“Pinot noir doesn’t scale very well,” he said. Unlike cabernet sauvignon vineyards that can yield twice the volume of grapes without a reduction in quality, pinot noir vineyards do best when the yield is low. The grape is also more susceptible to mildew, which affects a lot of producers who do not pay attention to the quality of the soil.
Better soil produces more healthy vines to fight off mildew. In a recent Zoom tasting, Fishman separated commercial pinot noir made in large quantities from his small productions where quality is more important. Commerical producers will avoid expensive oak barrels and will randomly strip the vines of every grape.
Flaws are covered by adding sugar. At Donum, Fishman is more selective in choosing evenly ripened grapes. He is cognizant of how a vineyard faces the sun and how the soil affects the flavor profile.
He is willing to graft different clones if something isn’t working. And, perhaps most importantly,.