Laura L.
Yelp
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Kenzo Estate Winery with a dear friend. As someone who grew up in the Napa Valley, I've been so fortunate as to visit many beautiful wineries, but Kenzo, wow, absolutely breathtaking. The winery is, as some have mentioned, a bit of a trek off the beaten and traditional wine tasting path, but perseverance is absolutely rewarded as you take in the views, the ambiance, and the wine.
When we arrived, Eric met us at the door, ushering us to the otherwise vacant patio and a wonderful, already prepared tasting. Eric was extremely knowledgeable about the winery, it's history and Kenzo himself. He handled our dry humor with excellent humor of his own, and was never far away should we have needed him for anything.
Now, the wine. I recently spent some time in Japan, where Kenzo wine was pretty much everywhere. I was lucky enough to pop into the Minatu/Hiroo tasting room and greatly enjoyed myself, despite the language barrier. At the Tokyo location, I sampled the Asuka, and fell almost immediately in love. Once I got home, I was determined to get out to the winery as soon as I could.
Fast forward about six weeks, and I was sitting on the patio, having wonderful conservation and enjoying our tasting of five wines (Asuka, Rindo, Asatsuyu, Muku, and Yui). The Asuka is my favorite, and I have the bottles at home to prove it, but the Asatuyu (Sauv Blanc) and Yui (rose) made a great impression as well. A visit to Kenzo is worth the drive and the price. Believe me- you are getting what you are paying for.
It's important to note that, in the Japanese culture, tipping is not an acceptable practice, and Eric was quite adamant about not accepting the tips we wanted to give him for a job extremely well done. I told him I'd write him a great review in lieu of cash.