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A Red-Hot Summer with New Donelan Wines

Paint the town Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhône

Our 2022 Summer Release is underway with a diverse six-bottle selection of Sonoma wine, three of which are brand new red wines that we’ve been so excited to introduce. When we think of summer, we think of evenings enjoying flavorful meals, live music, and vivid sunsets with a bottle of red wine to turn up the heat and make your memories all the more magnetic. Get acquainted with our new 2017 Two Brothers Pinot, 2017 Cuvée Moriah, and 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon.

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon

Fountaingrove District AVA

It’s hard to say which wine steals the show in our summer release, but the 2019 Cabernet is in the lead. Winemaker David Milner is no stranger to Cabernet, so this new program has been an exciting few years. While replanting our estate property Obsidian Vineyard, our estate’s Southwest orientation and rocky soil devoid of topsoil were begging for Cabernet. So, we listened. There are now two young blocks of Cabernet at Obsidian Vineyard. While these blocks come into maturity, we sought out sites with the same type of attributes as our estate to help us shepherd in a new Cabernet-producing era here at Donelan.

Our Fountaingrove District Cabernet is an extremely small project of meticulously farmed high-caliber fruit. The 2019 is our second vintage ever, grown organically on a steep hillside, a stone’s throw from the Sonoma-Napa border. It’s a full-bodied force of luxe dark red fruit, caramelized aromas of freshly ground coffee, and the floral yet woodsy tango of herbs de Provence. It will age above and beyond, but you can certainly enjoy it now after a couple of hours in the decanter. At only 154 cases, this wine is a natural-born rarity. We hope you jump at the chance to get a bottle. Enjoy with a slow-cooked and pulled lamb shoulder BBQ sandwich.

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2017 Two Brothers Pinot Noir

Sonoma County AVA

Whether you know this wine or know its eponyms Tripp and Cushing Donelan, you know the Two Brothers is loaded with personality and ready to usher in a good time with good people. We’ve been making this Sonoma Pinot Noir for over a decade now, and it’s always one of the wines we recommend as an “introduction” to Donelan. The new 2017 Two Bros is layered with blood orange, cherry, woodsmoke, tea leaves, and trademark Bennet Valley undertones of earthy fruit and rustic redwood forest. We love grilling with this wine in the summer. Pair it with fresh grilled shrimp and rich sun-dried tomatoes over creamy cheese polenta.

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2017 Cuvée Moriah

Sonoma County AVA

Before we brought Pinot Noir into our portfolio of Sonoma wine, the Cuvée Moriah was our go-to multitalented red. It’s a blend of high-quality Grenache and Mourvedre from Dry Stack Vineyard. We’ve been working with this site for almost two decades, and every vintage is uniquely delicious. This is a red wine to stock up on because you can open it up on any given day or year. It’s a fun Rhône blend that’s well-versed in food. Try savory rosemary fried chicken and baked macaroni and cheese with the Moriah’s flavors of licorice, cedar, tobacco, juicy cherries, and blackberries.

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Our approach with winemaking and intention in life is to enjoy the journey, not the destination. Cherish the moment by living in it, and not by coveting moments to come. The same goes for wine. It’s wonderful to save certain bottles for special occasions, but enjoying wine is not about cellaring it away. It’s about drinking it. Summer is a season to embody this mindset to the fullest. School is out, work is slow, days are long, and good times are yours for the making. Drink it all in. So cheers to summertime, new memories, and indulging in great red wine. Order the new releases from our store and check out special overnight shipping offers for a limited time.

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