I feel like Kunde is one of those big family names that has now become synonymous with Sonoma County wines. And it’s no wonder, since the Kunde’s have been harvesting grapes in the area for over a century. But despite their well-known name and prosperity, the Kunde Family Winery is still, in fact, a family winery, run by 4th and 5th generation Kundes. And as such, each wine is an estate-grown and 100% sustainably farmed. Maybe that’s why this seemingly simple Chardonnay provides not just depth of flavors, but depth of soul.
About the Wine: Kunde Family Winery Sonoma Valley Chardonnay is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes harvested from the Kunde’s estate (in Sonoma Valley in case you didn’t catch that). The grapes were whole-cluster pressed before cold soaking after which 80% of the juice was fermented in French oak barrels for five months (20% new) while the remaining was fermented in stainless steel tanks. The barrel fermented wine was aged sur lie, with batonnage occurring just once a week, and underwent malolactic fermentation.
13.8% ABV
Flavor Profile: The Kunde Family Winery Sonoma Valley Chardonnay is a light straw yellow in the glass. I’m not going to lie, initial aromas were almost disappointing, as they were, what I would call, stereotypical for a Chardonnay — strong scents of apple, pear, with subtle hints of white flowers in the background. “Ok,” you think, “nothing special, right?” Wrong. The nose is quite deceiving.
The foretaste of the wine speaks of those initial aromas: fresh fruits, namely apples and pears with a hint of citrus zest. But those initial fruits calmly, but quickly, fade away. No, they melt away into a luxurious taste and texture of the smoothest cream. A bit of butter, a bit of roasted nuts, a bit of guilty-pleasure that comes with a decadent dessert.
No, the wine is not sweet. It’s just, well, pair it with the right dish and you’re in for a world of amazingness.
Food Pairing: I paired my glass (es) of Kunde Family Winery Sonoma Vally Chardonnay with a creamy crab risotto. Those initial fruits work well to break through the obvious creaminess of the meal. But I highly recommend pairing this Chardonnay with this, or a similar, meal because the creaminess of the dish not only enhanced those decadent textures of the wine, it brought forward an enticing finish of vanilla. Just pure vanilla. With this meal, the finish is long, supple, but (again) so calm. You can’t help but take another sip (and another, and another…).
More Info: This was my first interaction with Kunde Family Winery. Don’t ask me what made me pick up the bottle. I just recognized the name, saw it was on sale, and grabbed (ok, I guess you can ask). And I’m glad I did because for a grocery store sale wine, you can still enjoy the finesse of a family winery who only produces the best of their estate.
Cheers to that. I purchased Kunde Family Winery Sonoma Valley Chardonnay at Safeway for $15.
Of course for more information about the Kunde Family, their wines, or to book a visit (I hear their tours are amazing), please visit the Kunde Family Winery website.
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