Our estate grown Zinfandel invites you in with its aromas of black currants, blackberry, gingersnap, and violets. Expressive flavors of blackberry, plum, and a touch of cinnamon are a joy on the palate. Approachable and fruit forward, this vintage is marked particularly by its rich, lengthy finish.
Winemaking Notes & Food Pairing
2016 was a relatively cool year, where the monthly temperatures were lower than usual. Upon harvest, the grapes are allowed to cold soak for 3-5 days, releasing deep color pigment along with the building blocks that form the depth and backbone of the wine. Fermentation was conducted using native yeasts to ferment the juice until dry. Two pumpovers were conducted daily, followed by pressing. The wine was aged for 16 months (25% new) in 35% French and 65% American oak barrels and bottled in April 2018.
Smoky Black Bean Chili (recipe found at Kunde.com)
Winemaker’s Comments
“Zinfandel grown on the hillsides of the Sonoma Valley produces personality packed wines. The temperature and length of growing days offer enough heat to build fresh fruit flavors without being over ripe but still develops hints of pepper spice like you would find in a cooler climate. I feel the hills of the Kunde Estate allow that perfect blend of maturity that still expresses complexity. Make sure you stock up on this one. It will go fast!”
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Appellation: Sonoma Valley, Kunde Estate
Clones: Shaw & Picchetti Selections
Vine Age: 8 to 135 years
Harvest: September 9-October 12, 2016
Harvest Brix: 26.8
Alcohol: 14.7%
pH: 3.54
Residual Sugar: dry
Total Acidity: 0.68 g/L
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
6x 2016 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
Case:
12x 2016 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
At Kunde Family Estate, our winemaking mission is to craft elegant wines with a real sense of place—beautifully balanced and expressive of our dramatic vineyard landscape.
For over a century, five generations of the Kunde Family have farmed our 1,850 acre-estate in the heart of Sonoma Valley—a truly remarkable legacy in the modern age of California winemaking. A fervent, forward-thinking vision of land stewardship and sustainability began over one hundred years ago, and has been shaped with each successive generation.
Today, Kunde Family Estate is still family owned and operated with a hands-on team of 4th and 5th generation family members at the helm. At the end of the day, every decision we make, every wine we craft, and every experience we provide honors the legacy of founder Louis Kunde, who emigrated from Germany and purchased the original Wildwood Vineyards ranch at the turn of the century in 1904. Cresting the second century was a profound milestone for the family. Moving forward, we remain committed to innovation and state-of-the-art facilities, while also maintaining a deep, personal commitment to sustainable winegrowing and preserving the land for generations to come.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Excited to get this opportunity to preview this Kunde 2016 zin (thanks!). New wine for us, although we have seen it on casemates in the past. Bottom line is that I wish we bought it last time it was available!
Pop and pour. Strong alcohol smell after initial pour – perhaps not surprising for a 14.7% ACL/VOL. Deep beautiful silky color in the glass. First taste is a cherry-bomb with peppery spice in the best ways possible. Importantly and surprisingly, it was not as sweet as we typically find with a fruit-forward zin. The wine is very well balanced. The alcohol on the nose was not evident on the palate and the alcohol nose was greatly mellowed by the next day. Overall a delicious wine even without giving it time to breathe. Luckily, the strong and delicious cherry and silky smooth texture of the wine remained over the two days we drank this.
We happened to have received this rat at the same time I was preparing a 10-hour slow and low Texas style bbq pork shoulder and this zin went perfectly with the peppery and juicy pork. I would say that I could happily pair this with, veggie pizza (our favorite), any form of bbq or chicken. For us, definitely a step above a daily drinker. Don’t need food to enjoy this wine but we will more than likely have as a once a week wine for pairing with our favorite homemade bbq’s and Italian inspired meals.
Definitely in a for a case!
![enter image description here][3]
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Kunde Estate Zinfandel - $20 = 12.49%
2016 Kunde Estate Grown Zinfandel, Sonoma County
Opened around 1:30 pm to accompany some charcuterie-like snacks (crackers, cheese, salami) and a Bears half-time lead.
Lovely clear, medium cool-red garnet color. No evidence of sediment or bricking. Initial nose is quite fruity (cherry, blackberry, blueberry) with something “earthy” in the background. Leather, perhaps? It smells “warm” but not the baking spice kind of warm. That could be the alcohol, I suppose (14.7%) Maybe there’s just a tiny hint of tobacco. I’m not really getting the peppery notes I would expect in a Zin, but they may show up later.
Palate pretty much follows the nose with darker fruits (cherry in the lead here), an earthy component which I still can’t quite pinpoint, and a nice acid backbone. My initial pairing was based more on Football than the wine itself. I liked it with the salami-cheese-cracker in combination, but not so much with the salami alone. I really liked it with Havarti cheese (solo). It’s also really good with some dried tart cherries. Tannins are there, but not obvious or astringent. This is pretty smooth drinking and user friendly straight up.
Well, that first glass (and a half) went down quickly. Bears are now leading 20-6. Back later…
Later: BEARS WIN!!! Woo Hoo!!!
Later-er…
Today was supposed to be Costco and grocery shopping day, but it’s chilly and raining in Chicago, so I’m working with what I have on hand…
Now pairing with Costco (from the freezer!) smoked, pulled pork with some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, baked on a pie crust, galette-style (pie crust schmeared with goat cheese and a squeeze or two of BBQ sauce to make it a bit easier to spread, caramelized red onion with garlic and a splash of this wine, pulled pork with BBQ sauce, and dotted with those little mozzarella balls). SO MUCH YUM!!! I’ve not made this before definitely but will again, but I’d cut down on the amount of BBQ sauce I “bathed” the pork in!
At this point (~6.5 hours after opening) not much has changed. The wine pairs nicely with the BBQ pork but may be overpowered a bit by the sauce. It may have been better paired with the pulled pork with far less BBQ sauce, or maybe a sauce a bit less sweet than Sweet Baby Ray. Or something a bit less “aggressive” like a good burger. The pepper notes are starting to settle in, but otherwise, still nice smooth darker berries (mostly cherry).
Post-dinner…the BBQ smell in the house is fading. Now I’m getting a slight licorice note on the nose along with some spice/baking spice, but both seem to come and go from sniff to sniff. There’s definitely still a prominent bright, tart cherry note. Honestly, they cherry note smells almost exactly like my bag of dried tart Montmorency cherries.
I saved a bit to try Monday evening after work. Notes to follow, after I get home…maybe I’ll pick up a burger on the way home.
So far:
Pairs well with: Charcuterie snacks, Cheddar and Havarti cheese, BBQ pulled pork, dried cherries, chocolate covered raisins
Not a good pairing with: Toothpaste, Rice Krispie Treats
I don’t drink much Zinfandel (not sure why other than that I tend towards Pinot Noir and Cab/Cab blends), so I don’t have a lot to compare to. Overall, I’d say this is an approachable Zin, certainly drinkable now, but would probably age reasonably well for at least 3-5 years. It’s fruit forward, with some nice underlying earthier notes, not “jammy”, has decent structure, and seems to be an easy drinker. I’d consider it a great weeknight wine as I suspect it would pair well with a nice range of cuisine. I’m imagining it with pizza, or a nice burger. It’s not overly complicated, but a wine shouldn’t have to be to be good.
Alright, enough babbling from me for one night!
As always, thanks to WineDavid, Alice, and the rest of the WCC crew for the opportunity to contribute to the CaseMates Community. Cheers!
@karenhynes Ideally for me, Sonoma (esp Dry Creek) zin should have bramble, the unique herbaceous scent…hard to describe… some say leather. My big question when folks say “cherry” is, is it sour? not dry, but sour? If so, I’m out. If not sour, and it is dry with herbaceous fruit, well heck i’m generally in… but right now is bad timing, as lastbottle just shipped their summer holds and SWMBO is gonna go nuts as the boxes build up… but too much of that is PS, vs zin-- so, sour?
Humm, noticed that this was something I had purchased in August as part of a case of mixed reds, but hadn’t yet opened the case, decided to try a bottle last night to see if I should order six bottles…
After doing our own Lab Rat tasting last night, my wife wouldn’t let me order a six pack…
In for a full case…
Talked a friend into splitting a case. So now I’m only a little over stocked, well, more than a little, but Kunde is one of my favorite wineries, never been disappointed. Never had a bottle from Kunde that I didn’t really like. /giphy pesky-precious-pelican
2016 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes & Food Pairing
Winemaker’s Comments
Specs
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$286.44/Case at Kunde Family Winery for 12x 2016 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 9 - Tuesday, Nov 10
Kunde Estate Zinfandel
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Kunde Estate Zinfandel
Excited to get this opportunity to preview this Kunde 2016 zin (thanks!). New wine for us, although we have seen it on casemates in the past. Bottom line is that I wish we bought it last time it was available!
Pop and pour. Strong alcohol smell after initial pour – perhaps not surprising for a 14.7% ACL/VOL. Deep beautiful silky color in the glass. First taste is a cherry-bomb with peppery spice in the best ways possible. Importantly and surprisingly, it was not as sweet as we typically find with a fruit-forward zin. The wine is very well balanced. The alcohol on the nose was not evident on the palate and the alcohol nose was greatly mellowed by the next day. Overall a delicious wine even without giving it time to breathe. Luckily, the strong and delicious cherry and silky smooth texture of the wine remained over the two days we drank this.
We happened to have received this rat at the same time I was preparing a 10-hour slow and low Texas style bbq pork shoulder and this zin went perfectly with the peppery and juicy pork. I would say that I could happily pair this with, veggie pizza (our favorite), any form of bbq or chicken. For us, definitely a step above a daily drinker. Don’t need food to enjoy this wine but we will more than likely have as a once a week wine for pairing with our favorite homemade bbq’s and Italian inspired meals.
Definitely in a for a case!
![enter image description here][3]
@birdbrains Not pallet. Palate!
@ddeuddeg haha - I had to go back and see where I even used it…hey, it was late
@birdbrains Thanks for reviewing. Love the Texas BBQ pairing.
@birdbrains pork shoulder…that’s why we have a temp sensor…only took me 20 hours to come back and figure that out
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Kunde Estate Zinfandel - $20 = 12.49%
Friendly neighborhood rat checking in for duty!
2016 Kunde Estate Grown Zinfandel, Sonoma County
Opened around 1:30 pm to accompany some charcuterie-like snacks (crackers, cheese, salami) and a Bears half-time lead.
Lovely clear, medium cool-red garnet color. No evidence of sediment or bricking. Initial nose is quite fruity (cherry, blackberry, blueberry) with something “earthy” in the background. Leather, perhaps? It smells “warm” but not the baking spice kind of warm. That could be the alcohol, I suppose (14.7%) Maybe there’s just a tiny hint of tobacco. I’m not really getting the peppery notes I would expect in a Zin, but they may show up later.
Palate pretty much follows the nose with darker fruits (cherry in the lead here), an earthy component which I still can’t quite pinpoint, and a nice acid backbone. My initial pairing was based more on Football than the wine itself. I liked it with the salami-cheese-cracker in combination, but not so much with the salami alone. I really liked it with Havarti cheese (solo). It’s also really good with some dried tart cherries. Tannins are there, but not obvious or astringent. This is pretty smooth drinking and user friendly straight up.
Bears are now leading 20-6. Back later…
Well, that first glass (and a half) went down quickly.
Later: BEARS WIN!!! Woo Hoo!!!
Later-er…
Today was supposed to be Costco and grocery shopping day, but it’s chilly and raining in Chicago, so I’m working with what I have on hand…
Now pairing with Costco (from the freezer!) smoked, pulled pork with some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, baked on a pie crust, galette-style (pie crust schmeared with goat cheese and a squeeze or two of BBQ sauce to make it a bit easier to spread, caramelized red onion with garlic and a splash of this wine, pulled pork with BBQ sauce, and dotted with those little mozzarella balls). SO MUCH YUM!!! I’ve not made this before definitely but will again, but I’d cut down on the amount of BBQ sauce I “bathed” the pork in!
At this point (~6.5 hours after opening) not much has changed. The wine pairs nicely with the BBQ pork but may be overpowered a bit by the sauce. It may have been better paired with the pulled pork with far less BBQ sauce, or maybe a sauce a bit less sweet than Sweet Baby Ray. Or something a bit less “aggressive” like a good burger. The pepper notes are starting to settle in, but otherwise, still nice smooth darker berries (mostly cherry).
Post-dinner…the BBQ smell in the house is fading. Now I’m getting a slight licorice note on the nose along with some spice/baking spice, but both seem to come and go from sniff to sniff. There’s definitely still a prominent bright, tart cherry note. Honestly, they cherry note smells almost exactly like my bag of dried tart Montmorency cherries.
I saved a bit to try Monday evening after work. Notes to follow, after I get home…maybe I’ll pick up a burger on the way home.
So far:
Pairs well with: Charcuterie snacks, Cheddar and Havarti cheese, BBQ pulled pork, dried cherries, chocolate covered raisins
Not a good pairing with: Toothpaste, Rice Krispie Treats
I don’t drink much Zinfandel (not sure why other than that I tend towards Pinot Noir and Cab/Cab blends), so I don’t have a lot to compare to. Overall, I’d say this is an approachable Zin, certainly drinkable now, but would probably age reasonably well for at least 3-5 years. It’s fruit forward, with some nice underlying earthier notes, not “jammy”, has decent structure, and seems to be an easy drinker. I’d consider it a great weeknight wine as I suspect it would pair well with a nice range of cuisine. I’m imagining it with pizza, or a nice burger. It’s not overly complicated, but a wine shouldn’t have to be to be good.
Alright, enough babbling from me for one night!
As always, thanks to WineDavid, Alice, and the rest of the WCC crew for the opportunity to contribute to the CaseMates Community. Cheers!
@karenhynes Bears
@kaolis @karenhynes Did you forget the “Da”?
@karenhynes @Mark_L waiting on a few more wins to add the “Da”!
@karenhynes Thanks for the fun & detailed review. So you’re saying it pairs well with the Bears? Wonder how it would stand up to an evening of 49ers?
@karenhynes Ideally for me, Sonoma (esp Dry Creek) zin should have bramble, the unique herbaceous scent…hard to describe… some say leather. My big question when folks say “cherry” is, is it sour? not dry, but sour? If so, I’m out. If not sour, and it is dry with herbaceous fruit, well heck i’m generally in… but right now is bad timing, as lastbottle just shipped their summer holds and SWMBO is gonna go nuts as the boxes build up… but too much of that is PS, vs zin-- so, sour?
@karenhynes @slinger42 Not sour. You need another basis for your decision.
@slinger42 not sour
@slinger42
Not sour
/giphy not sour cherries
@karenhynes You convinced me, darn you. I have no space.
Ooh, this is tempting. Love a bit of a more old school style zin. I wonder what they picked it at
Any members in the Charleston, SC area interested in splitting a 6 pack?
@karma2u I’m in Columbia, but am in Charleston every 6-8 weeks or so if you want to split. Otherwise, I’m good for a case by myself. Love me some Zin.
This was offered in a mixed case here in August
https://casemates.com/forum/topics/kunde-family-winery-estate-reds
Had the Merlot the other night and it was yummy-in for a case of the Zin-hope its just as good.
I got a six pack of this on RWS a little while ago, and love it. I’m out of room, or I would definitely be getting a case.
/giphy descriptive-envious-argument
Could always use more Zinfandel in our house!
/giphy draconian-dangling-division
Humm, noticed that this was something I had purchased in August as part of a case of mixed reds, but hadn’t yet opened the case, decided to try a bottle last night to see if I should order six bottles…
After doing our own Lab Rat tasting last night, my wife wouldn’t let me order a six pack…
In for a full case…
@winecaseaholic
Ok, well done.
So, post some Lab Rat notes so we can highlight them for others.
I really DO love me some zin…
aware-wondrous-goose
It’s been forever since we visited, but we loved this winery. In for 12 just for nostalgia
/giphy curvy-neon-humor
Haven’t had me some Kunde in a while - great place to visit - in for a case.
Talked a friend into splitting a case. So now I’m only a little over stocked, well, more than a little, but Kunde is one of my favorite wineries, never been disappointed. Never had a bottle from Kunde that I didn’t really like. /giphy pesky-precious-pelican
/giphy pesky-precious-pelican
This purchase was a mistake. (I only bought 6)
@kainc You need to be more specific.
@ddeuddeg @kainc I believe kainc is upset they only bought 6. This is very tasty. I have learned long ago to buy cases.
@danandlisa @ddeuddeg indeed the mistake was not buying a case
@danandlisa @kainc Aha! Makes perfect sense now.