Kenwood Winery
9592 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452
Website: http://kenwoodvineyards.com/
Kenwood Vineyards is another winery I chose to visit because I was familiar with the name. I had tried some of their wines before I visited and enjoyed them. They produce a wide selection of the classic varietals that include Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Massive wooden fermentation tanks at Kenwood Winery
Kenwood is located off of Highway 12 in close proximity to several other wineries. Although Kenwood Vineyards was founded in 1970, the refurbished winery is located in the former Pagani Brothers Winery that was originally built in 1906. The winery and tasting room looks like a refurbished barn. I visited twice and each time it wasn’t terribly busy. That may be because I visited soon after they opened in the morning. Inside the tasting room was warm and inviting like a camp lodge with a large tasting bar at the back end. The atmosphere was low key and our server both times was very friendly and knowledgeable. I felt very comfortable inside this tasting room and I didn’t mind staying a while to learn about the wines.
Kenwood produces a few different series of wines. Probably the most widely known is the Sonoma Series which has been produced at Kenwood since 1970. The next series is the Reserve wines which are small lot wines from Kenwood’s top vineyards. Of these wines, I enjoyed the Pinot Noir Reserve. Kenwood also has a Jack London Series that is produced from the vineyards of the historic Jack London Ranch in Glen Ellen, CA. Kenwood has been the exclusive producer of these wines since 1976. The label for these wines has the signature wolf head logo that Jack London used on his novels. My favorite of this series is the Syrah. The two other series that Kenwood produces are the Yulupa Series and Artist Series. The Yulupa wines were designed solely for restaurants and can only be purchased directly through the winery. I purchased the Yulupa Chardonnay to take home with me. The Yulupa White Zinfandel makes for a nice sipping wine. Each year Kenwood releases an Artist Series wine which features the work of a renowned artist on the label. These are collectible wines. Past labels featured works of Pablo Picasso, Henry Miller, Alexander Calder, and Vincent van Gogh.
This winery is definitely worth a stop because the tasting room is comfortable, the staff is friendly, and all of the different series of wines are great. I would suggest bringing along a couple of friends and purchasing a couple of tastings to share to be able to try more of the wines.
Picnic area at Kenwood