Our estate-grown Zinfandel is a charmer with its aromas of blueberries, violets, and raspberry preserves and ripe flavors of blackberry and plum with a spicy white pepper note. Juicy and fruit-forward, this vintage is marked particularly by its rich, lengthy finish.
Food Pairing: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich with Smoky Aioli
Winemaking
There is no rush to turn a tank when it comes to Zinfandel. For 3-5 days, the grapes are allowed to cold soak, releasing the color and the building blocks that form the backbone of the wine. Fermentation begins with the native yeast that comes in from the fields. With vintages like this with ample sugar accumulation, additional yeast will be added to the native yeasts to ensure that the wine will ferment to dryness. Pressing decisions are made on texture, not sugar–we want all the texture the grapes have to offer. The wine was aged for 16 months in 35% French oak (25% new) and 65% American oak and bottled in April 2020.
Winemaker’s Notes
“Zinfandel grown on the hillsides of the Sonoma Valley produces personality-packed wines. The temperate climate and length of growing days offer enough heat to build fresh fruit flavors without being overripe but still develops hints of pepper spice. I feel the hills of the Kunde Estate allow that perfect blend of maturity that still expresses complexity. This vintage offers a great deal of fruit-forward opulence from a wine without any residual sugar.”
Specs
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Vine Age: 10-139 years old
22% of the blend is from 139-year-old Zinfandel vines
Harvest Date: September 9 - October 16, 2018
Harvest Brix: 25.8°
Release Date: Fall 2021
Alcohol: 14.7%
pH: 3.62
RS: Dry
Total Acid: 0.63
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2018 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
Case:
12x 2018 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 wine growing 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
North of the town of Sonoma, along Sonoma Highway 12, is Kenwood, home of Cafe Citti (IYKYK) and Kunde Family Winery. Funny story, in college, I worked in a tasting room a little further south of Kunde, in Glen Ellen. This stretch of Highway 12 that snakes west of the Mayacamas Mountains is a wonderful part of Sonoma County, and just minutes south of Santa Rosa as well. Well worth a visit if you are spending a long weekend in wine country.
I was delighted to hear from Alice and the WCC team this week, and even more ecstatic when a bottle of Kunde Sonoma County Zinfandel magically appeared, courtesy of the Big Brown Truck.
On initial pop and pour, I detect blackberry on the nose with a hint of oak. The dark fruit yields a mid palette to allspice and a smooth finish that is mildly acidic. I paired this with lamb and beef shawerma and felt the wine needed more time to open, it felt young. A quick Argon blast and into the fridge it went for night #2 and the remaining half of the bottle, which was paired with pepperoni vegetarian (muah) pizza.
This is a nice, full body Zinfandel with pronounced spice notes and thoroughly enjoyable.
I’m always on the hunt for BBQ friendly wines, and this absolutely would be a hit with baby back ribs, smoked buffalo wings, tri-tip, sausages, brisket, etc. With summer coming, having several bottles of a solid, established Sonoma County Estate Grown Zinfandel producer is never a bad idea.
Thank you @winedavid49 for the opportunity! I’m around all weekend
@klezman@rjquillin good morning! Blasted with argon because I opened it, drank some, sealed it back up and kept it overnight to try on day 2. I usually do this or vacuum pump reds I keep overnight.
@coolac5@klezman
imo, faulty reasoning.
If it’s in a sweet spot, and you want to keep it there, Ar, absolutely, but only if it’s where you want it to be.
If you think it needs to ‘open up’, give it AIR, not Ar.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Kunde Estate Zinfandel - $40 = 22.22%
My second favorite Kunde wine. One of the first wines I bought on-line was their Red Blend, and I loved it. Bought a case of the 2016 Zin about a year and a half ago and loved it too. Great QPR at this price, and if I had any room at all I’d be in for a case.
It’s been a while - I love what you’ve done with the place!
Dropping in on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and a glass of Zinfandel…
I remember the good ol’ days, when WineDavid would swing by and drop a bottle on my porch - sometimes with fresh eggs care of WineFarm and the chickens. Or he’d convince me to stop by WCC headquarters to talk shop. Life was good. Alas, I’ve moved far away from the lovely town of Sonoma, so now it’s just the UPS man that brings wine to my door. He knows me by now, and I’ll hear him yell “don’t worry, I signed for you NeilFindsWine”. Such a nice fellow.
…and yesterday afternoon, the man-in-brown dropped off a single bottle. I opened the box revealing the 2018 Kunde Sonoma Valley Zinfandel.
Kunde… just seeing the label takes me back to that RPM tour - I think it was 1997? Sitting up on the hill looking down on the Sonoma Valley tasting wine with a wonderful group of humans. Again, life was good!
Full disclosure - Some of you may recall - I’m not usually much of a Zinfandel-Girl. Admittedly, that’s scar tissue from my days of ‘cutting my teeth’ in Paso Robles, having spent most of my life In Southern California before my move to Sonoma. I grew tired of those big, brutish, in-my-face 15.9% Paso Zins that put me to sleep after two glasses, only to wake the next morning with a bit of a headache. After moving to Sonoma in 2012, I slowly learned that Zinfandel could be more pleasant and subtle, and have alcohol levels below 15 percent.
Fast forward to last night at dinner, I popped the cork on the ‘18 Kunde and poured me some.
A swirl of the glass showed a DEEP dark purple wine. I gave it a sniff and it provided a nice nose of dark fruit with a very light dusting of vanilla/oak. I took a swig and was met with pleasant berry fruit notes with a hint of baking spice and a tinge of pepper. Short to medium finish, moderate acidity; it accompanied the sausage & mushroom pizza my wife had ordered from the local pizza joint.
I wanted to see if it would open up a little bit and give me more, so here I am having a glass of Zinfandel pre-breakfast. The things I do for WineDavid…
After 12 hours, it hasn’t changed much. Same, pleasant, easy-drinking wine.
To sum it up- this wine doesn’t have the typical Zin characteristics that I’m used to that I DON’T like- BIG, Jammy fruit, BIG alcohol, BIG oak. I’d also say that it doesn’t have the standard overt brambly/candied fruit notes that a Zin-lover might be looking for. It’s subdued all around, which for me, made it a quaffable, easy-drinking, everyday wine- great for pizza, barbecue, burgers, etc. It’s not particularly complex, but it’s what I’d expect for twenty bucks - and for the CaseMates price; ‘tis a good deal.
Kunde… just seeing the label takes me back to that RPM tour - I think it was 1997? Sitting up on the hill looking down on the Sonoma Valley tasting wine with a wonderful group of humans. Again, life was good!
That was a delightful tasting. Too bad it was so early in the trip and I was trying to save my purchasing for later!
Wow - Kunde - takes me back … Such fine folks. Across the road and down a piece from Peter Wellington’s old place. Where they filmed a scene from “Sideways” (boxing scene). If you are looking for a wonderful scenic place to do a tasting - go to the top of the hill. They treated the Tour-ists so very well. Haven’t had any Kunde since my stash ran out - so in for two cases.
Just drinking my first glass. Really, really happy I got two cases. Great balance of aged fruit, unami, oak, and light tannins. Not very cherry or berry - though they are there. Great memories!
2018 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown
Gold Medal, Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Winemaker’s Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$237.60/Case for 12x 2018 Kunde Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Estate Grown at Kunde Family Winery
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
Thursday, Mar 10 - Monday, Mar 14
North of the town of Sonoma, along Sonoma Highway 12, is Kenwood, home of Cafe Citti (IYKYK) and Kunde Family Winery. Funny story, in college, I worked in a tasting room a little further south of Kunde, in Glen Ellen. This stretch of Highway 12 that snakes west of the Mayacamas Mountains is a wonderful part of Sonoma County, and just minutes south of Santa Rosa as well. Well worth a visit if you are spending a long weekend in wine country.
I was delighted to hear from Alice and the WCC team this week, and even more ecstatic when a bottle of Kunde Sonoma County Zinfandel magically appeared, courtesy of the Big Brown Truck.
On initial pop and pour, I detect blackberry on the nose with a hint of oak. The dark fruit yields a mid palette to allspice and a smooth finish that is mildly acidic. I paired this with lamb and beef shawerma and felt the wine needed more time to open, it felt young. A quick Argon blast and into the fridge it went for night #2 and the remaining half of the bottle, which was paired with pepperoni vegetarian (muah) pizza.
This is a nice, full body Zinfandel with pronounced spice notes and thoroughly enjoyable.
I’m always on the hunt for BBQ friendly wines, and this absolutely would be a hit with baby back ribs, smoked buffalo wings, tri-tip, sausages, brisket, etc. With summer coming, having several bottles of a solid, established Sonoma County Estate Grown Zinfandel producer is never a bad idea.
Thank you @winedavid49 for the opportunity! I’m around all weekend
@coolac5
If you thought it needed more time to open up, why ever would you hit it with Ar??? Let it do it’s thing and see where it goes.
@coolac5 @rjquillin I had the exact same question.
@klezman @rjquillin good morning! Blasted with argon because I opened it, drank some, sealed it back up and kept it overnight to try on day 2. I usually do this or vacuum pump reds I keep overnight.
@coolac5 @klezman
imo, faulty reasoning.
If it’s in a sweet spot, and you want to keep it there, Ar, absolutely, but only if it’s where you want it to be.
If you think it needs to ‘open up’, give it AIR, not Ar.
2018 Kunde Estate Zinfandel
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Kunde Estate Zinfandel - $40 = 22.22%
My second favorite Kunde wine. One of the first wines I bought on-line was their Red Blend, and I loved it. Bought a case of the 2016 Zin about a year and a half ago and loved it too. Great QPR at this price, and if I had any room at all I’d be in for a case.
I’ve only been to the winery once but I remember really enjoying their estate zin.
@CorTot
For me, it was their Heritage Zin.
Ahoy CaseMateeys!
It’s been a while - I love what you’ve done with the place!
Dropping in on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and a glass of Zinfandel…
I remember the good ol’ days, when WineDavid would swing by and drop a bottle on my porch - sometimes with fresh eggs care of WineFarm and the chickens. Or he’d convince me to stop by WCC headquarters to talk shop. Life was good. Alas, I’ve moved far away from the lovely town of Sonoma, so now it’s just the UPS man that brings wine to my door. He knows me by now, and I’ll hear him yell “don’t worry, I signed for you NeilFindsWine”. Such a nice fellow.
…and yesterday afternoon, the man-in-brown dropped off a single bottle. I opened the box revealing the 2018 Kunde Sonoma Valley Zinfandel.
Kunde… just seeing the label takes me back to that RPM tour - I think it was 1997? Sitting up on the hill looking down on the Sonoma Valley tasting wine with a wonderful group of humans. Again, life was good!
Full disclosure - Some of you may recall - I’m not usually much of a Zinfandel-Girl. Admittedly, that’s scar tissue from my days of ‘cutting my teeth’ in Paso Robles, having spent most of my life In Southern California before my move to Sonoma. I grew tired of those big, brutish, in-my-face 15.9% Paso Zins that put me to sleep after two glasses, only to wake the next morning with a bit of a headache. After moving to Sonoma in 2012, I slowly learned that Zinfandel could be more pleasant and subtle, and have alcohol levels below 15 percent.
Fast forward to last night at dinner, I popped the cork on the ‘18 Kunde and poured me some.
A swirl of the glass showed a DEEP dark purple wine. I gave it a sniff and it provided a nice nose of dark fruit with a very light dusting of vanilla/oak. I took a swig and was met with pleasant berry fruit notes with a hint of baking spice and a tinge of pepper. Short to medium finish, moderate acidity; it accompanied the sausage & mushroom pizza my wife had ordered from the local pizza joint.
I wanted to see if it would open up a little bit and give me more, so here I am having a glass of Zinfandel pre-breakfast. The things I do for WineDavid…
After 12 hours, it hasn’t changed much. Same, pleasant, easy-drinking wine.
To sum it up- this wine doesn’t have the typical Zin characteristics that I’m used to that I DON’T like- BIG, Jammy fruit, BIG alcohol, BIG oak. I’d also say that it doesn’t have the standard overt brambly/candied fruit notes that a Zin-lover might be looking for. It’s subdued all around, which for me, made it a quaffable, easy-drinking, everyday wine- great for pizza, barbecue, burgers, etc. It’s not particularly complex, but it’s what I’d expect for twenty bucks - and for the CaseMates price; ‘tis a good deal.
Thanks WineDavid! Have a great weekend y’all!
@neilfindswine darn good thing you didn’t move to UT.
@rjquillin darn good indeed.
@neilfindswine
That was a delightful tasting. Too bad it was so early in the trip and I was trying to save my purchasing for later!
Revisited tonight with grilled burgers… 24 hours in it’s opened up a bit- fruit is a little more juicy; worked well with dinner.
I bought a case of the 2016 in October '20 and it was fantastic.
Think I’m in for one of these as well.
Wow - Kunde - takes me back … Such fine folks. Across the road and down a piece from Peter Wellington’s old place. Where they filmed a scene from “Sideways” (boxing scene). If you are looking for a wonderful scenic place to do a tasting - go to the top of the hill. They treated the Tour-ists so very well. Haven’t had any Kunde since my stash ran out - so in for two cases.
Bought a half-case of the 2016 previously offered. Only 1 left. Easy drinking, food friendly, not huge as the rats confirmed. In for a case this time.
/giphy nurturing-natural-design
Opened one tonight! Sure am glad we are getting some more! Great with pork tenderloin…drinks well, easy. Just like the rats said!
/giphy crowded-exciting-mist
Kunde Zin is great juice. If anyone can buy a case in Vegas I’ll split all day. Lmk
Auto. Solid wines and qpr
Just drinking my first glass. Really, really happy I got two cases. Great balance of aged fruit, unami, oak, and light tannins. Not very cherry or berry - though they are there. Great memories!
@woopdedoo boom!!