The Donum Estate — Attraction in Sonoma

I have been wanting to visit Donum to see the art for over a year. During that time they raised the price to $100 per person. But after such a great art and wine experience at Hess cellar I figured it was worth the $300 for our family to see the world renowned collection of over 50 sculptures. But our visit included just a glimpse of maybe 10- 15 pieces that were very close to the winery at the most. The garden sculptures were all covered up due to a construction project. We could barely see the plane and some other pieces that were a quick walk away and when we asked about getting a closer look we were told that "club members" can walk the grounds to see all the sculptures up close. Oh geez, silly me, I thought I paid $100 for that privilege! Instead, to add insult to injury, we were taken back to the tasting room and given a book of the collection to look at so we could to see all the art we did not see while tasting their pinot noirs. They were all fine wines but this was not an exceptional tasting by any means. I see other high ratings on google posts of Donum showing photos of incredible sculptures in the collection and I have no idea how these people had such a great experience seeing so much sculpture I had hoped to see but never saw. For me, this much anticipated visit was a huge letdown.

Note: This is an update on the review above. The winery considerately reached out to me about my dissatisfaction with the visit. They did explain that the construction they are doing will negatively impact the art part of their tour and they will be finished in late June or early July, so I will revisit at that time and update my review...

I feel so sad to give Donum only 2 stars. After reading so many positive reviews online, I was really looking forward to the Discovery Experience ($125/person, 1.5 hours) and was ready to be wowed by it’s wine, art, and the whole experience. Sadly, I left feeling very disappointed. The first part of the experience was wonderful. The host welcomed us at the door and lead us to the tasting room. The host is polite and answer all the questions we had. He poured wine, we tasted the wine, the host talked about wine and the property. He also talked about the background the owner and some of the art pieces. Everything is very standard, no complaints. My friends and I really like the Chardonnay, refreshing, fruity, and easy to drink. The reds are great too but not to the point that I would want to spend $200 for a bottle. After the wine tasting, the host brought us outside to see the art. The host only made 3 stops and less than 10 minutes we walked back to the front entrance. One of our friends even asked if we could go check out the spider, the host told us that the building is currently under construction so it is closed for visitors today. However, after we finished the whole tour, we saw visitors walking out of the building. There might be other reasons why he didn't bring us to see that particular art, such as running out of time or its exclusively for other specific tour, but why told us it is closed when in fact its actually opened for others. It really made us feel not welcomed. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful property, but a tour like this is huge a...

A luxury experience of a lifetime! After touring the many wineries in Napa, we ended with one of the most rememberable and delicious experiences at Donum Estate.

The arrival experience from the private drive to the breathtaking large scale sculpture by famed artist Jaume Plensa does't even prepare you for whats to come. It just has you in awe.

After you park the car and begin walking toward the entrance of the sophisticated yet modern tasting room, you are greeted by an expert wine director starting your experience with a warm welcome and a glass of wine. John Accardo was welcoming and set the tone for an exceptional afternoon.

Upon entering, the minimalist interiors highlights a few pieces of the collection. John escorted us to what we would soon realize was our own private tasting room. As we stepped into the room, shade automatically unveiled a 180 view of the vineyard and one of the collections large scale installations. Our table was preset with glassware, our small bites, florals as well as a personalized menu with our name on it.

John took us through our tasting of prize pinot's with conversation that was relaxed, informative and most importantly, unpretentious.

After the tasting, John took us on a tour of the art peppered among the property with the vineyards as the backdrop. His knowledge of one of the most impressive art collections in the world is only surpassed by his knowledge of wine.

Don't miss out on Donum Estates. A must each and every time...