(Contributed by Jennifer Schiff) Kenwood Winery was kind enough to kick off the first SSU WineSense meeting of the semester. Based in Sonoma Valley, Kenwood has a long reputation for high-quality wines, and is the home of the famous Jack London brand to honor the writer who wrote so many wonderful stories, including Call of the Wild and Valley of the Moon. Kenwood Winery also donates money to support the Jack London State Historic Park.
Photo Courtesy of Kenwood.com
About Kenwood Winery
Kenwood Winery was originally started in 1906 by the Pagani Brothers, in an old barn near the site of Jack London’s property. Later the winery was purchased by the Lees Brothers who introduced a French style of wine making, and began to separate varietals by vineyard to create a more organized business. Cuvee style wine making was used to create the new vintages, enabling them to focus on boutique wines.
Eventually Kenwood was purchased by Gary Heck of Korbel, and slowly grew in size until it gained its current excellent national reputation for high quality Sonoma Valley wines. Today Kenwood is owned by Pernod Ricard, who has insured that the wines continued to be distributed nationally and appear in well-known restaurants. Kenwood has become somewhat of a household name and we were very lucky to have been able to have them come present at SSU.
Kenwood Wines We Tasted
We were presented with six different varietals, starting with three whites and finishing with three reds. Highlights included a Sonoma Coast Sauvignon Blanc that was very light and crisp with nice floral notes to it. It was the favorite white of the evening. When beginning with the reds we tried a Jack London Zinfandel that was very nicely balanced with the perfect amount of spice. We finished with a Cab that had a nice smoky finish as well as a good amount of tannins that many people appreciated.
The Favorite of the Evening
Everyone unanimously agreed that the 2013 Kenwood Jack London Cabernet Sauvignon was the favorite wine of the evening.
