Kunde Family Winery is one of the most revered estates in Sonoma Valley. Consumers and winemakers alike long for wines and grapes from these volcanic mountainside vineyards that overlook the entire Sonoma Valley.
Having arrived at Kunde, you begin to realize that this is no ordinary wine estate. This is an awesome, sprawling location along the eastern side of Sonoma Valley that is like a sub-region of Sonoma Valley – an 1800 acre estate ranch that grows 16 different varieties and still preserves a majority of the land to natural, undeveloped habitat. Such is the respect for the land and a commitment to sustainable farming by the five generation Kunde family who have ranched here since 1904.
Kunde hospitality offers it all: The winery and visitors area is an old barn that was converted to production and hospitality; a small lake and surrounding patio with tables make for a very relaxed, people-friendly environment; tasting at the main bar in the visitor center; seated tastings with cheeses on the patio; winter season seated tastings in the winery’s barrel caves; and hiking tours of the property. But at Kunde the showstopper is the Mountain Top tasting, a two hour tour that includes a ride up to the top of the ranch at 1400 feet elevation and a tasting of estate wines – with a selection of cheeses and charcuterie. From here on a clear day you can enjoy a spectacular view of the entire Sonoma Valley from Carneros to the Russian River! If you time it just right you might catch the near-magical marine layer of fog just below your feet that flows in and out of the valley on a daily basis during the summer – the coastal climate phenomenon that combined with warming afternoon sunshine creates the ideal conditions that take wines from being just good – to great.
Kunde bottles a range of varietals from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir to Syrah to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage. Other than the Reserve Century Vines Zinfandel, be on the lookout for Kunde’s Sonoma Valley and Heritage Block bottlings which are excellent values and delicious expressions of Sonoma Valley Zinfandel.