We Return to Kenwood Winery

We visited Kenwood in 2006, way back in the day, when Lisa and I lucked into a trip to Sonoma. We loved it. Lisa was DD that day, and I’m pretty sure I sampled every one of their wines. There are maybe 30 on the tasting list.

We returned to revisit the wines and learn about the Yulupa Zinfandel that Lisa declared the $10 bottle of wine closest to her favorite, Ridge.

This time around, we sampled five (cost: $5) — their sparkling wine and four Zinfandels, including the Yulupa. We learned something important: the “Yulupa” versions of Kenwood’s wines are mostly sold to restaurants. They aren’t labelled for individual retail sale (except for outside Kansas City, evidently). We’re probably never going to see that wine again. Damn.

But their other Zinfandels are great. Honestly, all their wines are pretty great. We’ve always liked Kenwood. If you’re in a splurge mood, try one of their Jack London bottles (look for bottles with a wolf painted on the front). The grapes come from the Jack London Vineyard.

The Jack London Zinfandel was my favorite of the four we tried head-to-head, but their basic Sonoma County Zin is pretty great too … and about 1/2 the price. Grab a bottle and give it a shot.