Donati Family Vineyard
2022 Donati Family Vineyard Malbec Reserve – A Gift to Wine Connoisseurs
Background
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Donati generally means “gift” from the Latin “Donatus”. Their wines are truly gifts for wine connoisseurs.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Malbec as a grape possesses an inky dark color and robust tannins. This purple grape is also one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wines. This thick-skinned grape needs more sun and heat than other known varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Paso Robles is great location for this varietal. Besides ripening mid-season during harvest, it provides a plum flavor characteristic to wines in blending or as a standalone varietal. The key to Malbec is its rich, dark and juicy fruit.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is 97.5% Malbec with 1.7% Petit Verdot, and .8% Petite Sirah to top off the wine in the barrels. The grapes come from the HuerHuero Vineyard that is sustainably farmed and certified (SIP). The wine was first fermented in stainless steel and second fermentation in barrels. Barrel treatment was 33% new Hungarian oak and 67% used barrels one or more times. The wine was aged for 27 months in barrel and aged in the bottle for just over one year. It is scheduled to be released to Wine Club Members in April 2026. Only 60 cases were produced.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine, when poured into the glass possessed a deep mysterious dark and magenta hue with a medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose, aromas of black fruits and earthiness wafted into the senses awakening the imbiber. Once on the palate, blackberries, blueberries and black plums were the dominate and rich flavor profiles that swirled about coating the mouth. Secondary flavors of exotic spices of cloves paired with a distinct earthiness. On the finish, light toasted wood with present tannins yet smooth and silky with decided juicy dark plums. Very well-balanced and structured layers of enjoyment.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was chosen this evening to be paired with a stir-fried flank steak. The beef was thinly sliced, tossed in Chaka sauce with Dark & Smoky Flatiron Peppers, kosher salt, black pepper and stir fried on the stovetop. Added prior sauteed snap peas, mushrooms and garlic into the stir fry. The Udon noodles were combined and the previous mentioned items with more Chaka sauce and stir fried. Accompanied with a fresh green garden salad.
The wine was very smooth, and with the juiciness of the wine, paired wonderfully with the slightly spicy meat. Another very good food and wine pairing.
The Winery
Photo from Donati Family Vineyard
We met Briana Heywood, the winemaker, two years ago while in Paso Robles. They had won the Best of Class and Double Gold for their Cabernet Franc at the 6th International Cabernet Franc Wine Competition and wanted to understand other wines they produced. Her background prior to joining the Donati Family was at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines for almost 10 years as an enologist and previous experience with a variety of wineries. She is engaging and energetic with a personality that you just love listening to!
The winery produces both a larger scale commercial wine offering and very small artisan & boutique wines for direct customer purchase and their wine club with approximately 600 cases produced for DTC. They are located at 2720 Oak View Road in Templeton, California. Their tasting room is quaint and inviting and more like a family room atmosphere. Many of their other wines are for commercial and mass production with approximately 7,000 cases for the wholesale market. They are moderately priced for the consumer and a welcome change!
While not one of the “big major names” in Paso Robles AVA, they are getting noticed by wine aficionados and discerning wine drinkers. FYI, Briana will be pouring her wines at the Cabernet Franc Wine Stroll (Cab Franc and many others) on March 28th https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2026/02/03/7th-annual-cabernet-franc-and-many-other-wine-varieties-wine-stroll-on-march-28th/
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
2022 Donati Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – “Gifted Wines” & Velvety Tannins
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Donati generally means “gift” from the Latin “Donatus”. Their wines are truly gifts for wine connoisseurs.
We met Briana Heywood, the winemaker, two years ago while in Paso Robles. They had won the Best of Class and Double Gold for their Cabernet Franc at the 6th International Cabernet Franc Wine Competition and wanted to understand other wines they produced. Her background prior to joining the Donati Family was at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines for almost 10 years as an enologist and previous experience with a variety of wineries. She is engaging and energetic with a personality that you just love listening to!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon with .4% Petite Sirah, .3% Merlot and a smidgen of Petit Verdot to top off the wine in the barrels. The grapes come from the Aline’s vineyard that is sustainably farmed and certified in Paso Robles. The wine was fermented in 25% new American oak and 25% in new French oak with the balance of 50% being 2018 or older barrels. They were aged 27 months in barrel and once bottled, held for 10 months before being released in October 2025. Only 123 cases were produced and sold for $58/bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes a radiant purple and magenta sheen with medium viscosity. On the nose, reserved fruits of blackberries and plum. On the palate, this wine bursts forth with the aforementioned fruits with the addition of black cherries, then coupled with subtle leather and sweet pipe tobacco. On the finish, raspberries burst into the taste buds with a modicum of vanilla and dry earthiness. The tannins were velvety and polished, soft and rounded yet present.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was chosen this evening to be paired with a Cross Rib Roast. This was the first time that we had a Cross Rib Roast. The recipe was for a Garlicky Herb Cross Rib Roast, a cross rib roast also goes by the names of beef shoulder, chuck, Boston cut or English cut. The Cross Rib Roast was brushed with balsamic vinegar after inserting whole cloves of garlic into the roast. A paste then was applied consisting of minced garlic, thyme leaves, rosemary leaves, kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Accompanying the meal were sauteed seasoned small halved red potatoes and Brussel sprouts. A very good food and wine pairing. The wine was so smooth, it is one of the few Cabernet Sauvignon wines you could enjoy with food or simply by itself.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The winery produces both a larger scale commercial wine offering and very small artisan & boutique wines for direct to customer purchase and their wine club with approximately 600 cases produced for DTC. They are located at 2720 Oak View Road in Templeton, California. Their tasting room is quaint and inviting and more like a family room atmosphere.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Many of their other wines are for commercial and mass production with approximately 7,000 cases for the wholesale market. They are moderately priced for the consumer and a welcome change!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While not one of the “big major names” in Paso Robles AVA, they are getting noticed by wine aficionados and discerning wine drinkers. I will look forward to a return visit on the next trip to Paso Robles AVA.
Sláinte,
Michael
2021 Donati Family Vineyard Petite Sirah – “Gifted Wines”
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Donati generally means “gift” from the Latin “Donatus”. Their wines are truly gifts for wine connoisseurs.
This story unfolded from Donati’s participation in the 6th Annual International Cabernet Franc Competition on March 5th. They won Best of Category in the $56-$70 California and Double Gold Medals from the Professional Judges. They also received a Silver Medal from the People’s Choice Judges. This price category included wines from Lodi, Santa Maria, Paso Robles, Alexander Valley, Napa Valley and Temecula and perhaps one of the toughest categories in the competition. This was their second year participating.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
While attending the #CabFrancMasters in Paso I contacted Donati Wines to arrange a visit as I did not know the winery. We agreed to meet on Monday after the event and what a fun, delightful and engaging visit pursued with winemaker Brianna Heywood. Her background prior to joining the Donati Family was at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines for almost 10 years as an enologist and previous experience with a variety of wineries.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
During the visit with Briana, we sampled various wines from their award-winning lineup. We left with two of their wines, one being Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah is best known as offering a more intense full-bodied experience with a signature blend of dark fruit, spice and chocolate notes. A different grape varietal than Syrah.
This Petite Sirah is made with 96.7% Petite Sirah, 2.8% Petit Verdot and .5% Malbec. It won Double Gold at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. The grapes come from HuerHuero Vineyard in Paso Robles. The grapes are hand-picked with primary fermentation in macro bins and secondary fermentation in barrel. The barrels used were 50% new Russian oak, medium toasted heads and 50% neutral oak. The wine was aged 23 months in barrel and held in the bottle for one year before releasing. Only 68 cases were produced and listed at the winery for $56/bottle. The wine comes in at 14.9% alcohol.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes a very dark and brooding inky purple color with medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose, tightly bound up scents of blackberries. On the palate, the dark fruits of blackberry and blueberry reign prominently. Secondary flavors of earthiness, black pepper and a tinge of dark chocolate complete the sipping experience. On the finish, high tannins and acidity and a complete mouth filling experience provide bold and vigorous enjoyment.
The Donati Family Vineyard Petite Sirah displays all the key components of this beautiful varietal. This wine will make my annual list of Best Wines Tasted during the year for 2025. Only 3-4% of the 1500-1800 wines tasted make this list.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was chosen this evening to be paired with a 24-hour marinated and then BBQ’ed Carne Asada steak.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The marinade ingredients included, fresh chopped Jalapeño peppers (3 with seeds), olive oil, soy sauce, fresh squeezed orange and lime juice, minced garlic cloves, ground cumin, Kosher salt, ground black pepper with a flank steak. Drizzled with a side batch of marinade fresh marinade sauce and a modicum of fresh squeezed lime juice. Accompanying the meal were sauteed broccoli and Spanish rice with tomatoes & green chiles. The Petite Sirah with its fruit surrounding the spicy meat and was a wonderful pairing.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The winery produces both a larger scale commercial wine offering and very small artisan & boutique wines for direct to customer purchase and their wine club. They are located at 2720 Oak View Road in Templeton, California. Their tasting room is quaint and inviting and more like a family room atmosphere.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Here is the lineup of some of their commercial and mass-produced wines. They are moderately priced for the consumer.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
They also have a fair number of varieties of wines for their club members and are sold only in the tasting room. The tasting room is quaint and inviting to enjoy sipping some or perhaps all their wines!
Photo ©Michael Kelly
A great visit meeting Brianna with her enthusiastic energy, bright smile and her knowledge of both the vines and making wine. While not one of the “major names” in Paso Robles AVA, they are getting noticed by wine aficionados and discerning wine drinkers. I will look forward to a return visit on the next trip to Paso Robles AVA.
Sláinte,
Michael