The Wine Experience

Wine of the Week!
Kunde Chardonnay Estate 2006 $14     

Here’s this week’s Wine of the Week recommendation.  Get ready to pop the cork on Kunde 2006 Estate Chardonnay. 

This is a Chardonnay from the Kunde family estate which meanders through the heart of the beautiful Sonoma Valley.  For more than a hundred years Kunde has been part of Sonoma wine. 

This Chardonnay is a wonderful balance of classic flavors like pear and apple along with toasty oak. And it’s just the right amount of oakiness… adding to the depth to the wine without taking over. 

About half the wine was fermented in stainless steel so there is a very clean tasting finish to this chard which we think adds to it’s appeal.  Whether you like your Chardonnay “oaked” or “unoaked” here’s one that fits right into your tastes.

Chardonnay is an ideal food wine and the Kunde’s balancing act, along with the fourteen dollar a bottle price, makes it a very versatile choice for the table. 

Kunde Estate Chardonnay 2006 - discover it and the Sonoma Valley right here.

Pop the Cork™

Wine on the Radio - March 7, 2008

Winemaker's Comments:

"You love ripe fruit? You love cinnamon rolls? Who doesn't? Yeah, you have to try a glass of the 2006 Kunde Estate Chardonnay! From its aromas of ripe pears and apples to its tastes of cinnamon and rising bread dough, you'll think you've wandered into a bakery making fresh fruit Danish. This wine's complex character will compliment your good cooking, especially if you're whipping up some grilled halibut, fresh salads, or chicken kabobs. Don't miss out."
Tim Bell
Winemaker

Aroma/Flavor Profile:
Heady aromas of rising bread dough with tempting flavors of baked apples and pears and a touch of vanilla in the finish.

Harvest/Winemaking:
Our harvest in 2006 was evenly-paced with a steady ripening pattern - a winemaker's dream. We began picking our Chardonnay fruit on September 8 and harvested our last block on October 17. Sugars ranged from 21.3° to 25.2° Brix with an average of 23.8.

We included 40% whole clusters in each press load to lower the solids content of the juice and reduce bitter phenolics.
After cold settling and racking, 60% of the juice was fermented in small French oak barrels at 58 - 68° F., with the remainder fermented in stainless steel tanks at 52 - 55° F.

The barrel lots were aged sur lie and stirred biweekly, improving mouthfeel and enhancing its toasted bread character.
The stainless steel fermented portion provides the crisp fresh fruit character to the final blend.

Food Pairing:
For fish, grilled Halibut is always a yummy combo. For poultry, a delicious chicken salad.
First planted in 1879 by viticultural pioneers James Shaw and Captain John Drummond, with imported cuttings from Chateaux Margaux and Lafite Rothschild, our estate is comprised of 1,850 contiguous acres in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. 800 acres are planted to more than twenty different varieties of wine grapes. Our main ranches, Wildwood and Kinneybrook, stretch for two miles along scenic Sonoma Highway and extend 1,400 feet up from the valley floor, across the rolling hills, and into the Mayacamas Mountain range.

Past Recommendations, Picks, and Wines of the Week

Notes on our Wines of the Week, Recommendations, and Picks:

When you read our thoughts, please remember that you may think differently.  A particular wine may be your favorite and not on our list.  Well, don't stop buying it because of that.  In fact, you may want to email us and let us know about it. These are our opinions but our FIRST recommendation is to go by your own palate.

A couple of other thoughts . . . first, prices are approximate.  They'll vary.  Second, different vintages mean different grapes and different tastes so our recommendation for a 2000 Merlot may not hold for 2001.

And lastly, we remind you to drink responsibly!  Now, all that said, here is a summary of links to our suggestions.  Find one (or more) and pop the cork!

Read the fine print . . .

Wine consumption can have positive physical benefits or cause possible physical harm . . . the medical community is divided in some areas.  If you have any doubt, check with your doctor before consuming wine or any other alcoholic drink. 

Our information is well researched.  Recommendations are based on our opinions at the time of publication.  At the same time, recommendations change.  Also, there may be significant variance in taste depending on storage, shipping, and other factors.

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