Winemakers are a curious lot. They are always on a quest to identify unique vineyard sites and expressions of grape varieties. Every vintage brings with it unique challenges and opportunities to craft interesting wines. Kenwood Vineyards has introduced two white wines for winter sipping and beyond. We received both wines as tasting samples.
Both of these wines are new additions to the Kenwood Vineyards portfolio. They blend the home terroirs of Sonoma County with other interesting sites outside of Sonoma.
2018 Kenwood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County/Sonoma County — pale yellow in the glass with aromas of cut grass, citrus and hints of gooseberries. Flavors are tropical along with melon, cut grass, citrus and bright acidity. 13.5% abv. SRP $11.99
Aromas strongly hint at Sauvignon Blanc as the variety, but both aromas and flavors are not overwhelmingly green and are balanced with tropical and melon flavors. It’s easy sipping with good complexity. This wine blends Sauvignon Blanc sourced 52% from Lake County and 48% from Sonoma County. Winemaking takes place in stainless steel.
2018 Kenwood Vineyards Chardonnay, Monterey County/Sonoma County — dark yellow in the glass with generous aromas of ripe pears, peaches and apricots. The flavors echo the aromas with generous fruit flavors. It has a bit of weight in the mouth and finishes with good acidity and lingering flavors. 13.5% abv. SRP $11.99
This Chardonnay will please a wide range of wine drinkers with its generous aroma and flavor profiles. It goes through partial malolactic fermentation and aging in French and Hungarian oak. It is a blend of Chardonnay 72% from Monterey County and 28% from Sonoma County.
St. Patrick’s Day presented the perfect opportunity to pair these two wines with one of my favorite Irish dishes: colcannon. Colcannon is a delicious combination of cabbage, potatoes and butter. This colcannon recipe uses red potatoes and adds bacon (always a good idea). If you add an egg this dish makes a meal.
I hope you will give these two white wines from Kenwood Vineyards a try. They’re refreshing, balanced and delicious, not to mention reasonably priced. If you don’t get around to them this winter, then make sure you do so by summertime.
Cheers!
