The Kunde family began growing grapes and producing wine in 1904. They stopped making wine in 1944, opting to sell the production of their 700 acres of well-placed Sonoma Valley vineyards to other wineries, particularly Sebastiani. In 1990, a new winery was built, and Arthur and Fred Kunde, and winemaker Davide Noyes, who spent twenty years making wine at Ridge (how I would have liked to have been a papilla on his palate during that sojourn at Ridge), have been turning out a bevy of estate-bottled wines since 1990. Only one-third of their vineyards' production is utilized at Kunde, resulting in 70,000 cases in 1994. I must plead a degree of ignorance about the Kunde wines, but after tasting through the bottled 1993 and 1994 whites, I arranged a visit at the winery in late November. I was not disappointed. A winery well worth following, the superlative quality of their white wines, reasonable prices, and improving red wines merit plenty of attention. Moreover, the winery is located directly across the street from the excellent Kenwood Grill, so there is fine cooking to enjoy either before or after a tasting at Kunde.
The red wine program is beginning to become more interesting. The Cabernet Sauvignons are more interesting than the Merlot. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate exhibits a healthy dark ruby/purple color, a sweet, cassis nose, nicely textured, corpulent flavors, low acidity, and a satiny smooth finish. It should drink well for 7-8 years. Tel. (707) 833-5501; Fax (707) 833-2204
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