Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
As a young boy, Ron Donati grew up in South San Francisco, the son of a first generation Italian-American family. His grandfather Albino Donati made his own wine for the family dinner table. Ron has carried that legacy forward with the mission of producing wines of exceptional quality regardless of budget.
Ron and his three sons Matt, Mark and Brad established Donati Family Vineyard in 1998. They acquired vineyards in the small town of Paicines, CA, located on California's Central Coast. The location enjoys long warm days followed by cool nights thanks to the marine influence of the Monterey Bay, creating an ideal environment for growing premium wine grapes. Paicines grapes are sought after by well-known established brands as well as discerning small production wineries alike.
The core of Donati Family Vineyard's award- winning wine portfolio has always been focused on Bordeaux varieties. These include Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as high-quality Meritage-style blends, in addition to our family reserve wines that include Ezio Cabernet and The Immigrant, named after Ron's father and grandfather, respectively. The versatility of the Paicines AVA allows the winery to also produce select amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Syrah, and Grenache. All of the fruit is sourced from our sustainably farmed estate vineyards.
The Donati Family Vineyard winery is located in Templeton, California, in the heart of Paso Robles Wine Country. It was purchased in 2007 and remodeled extensively to create a warm and welcoming tasting room and hospitality center, as well as an outdoor picnic area with Bocce courts.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.