We started our five days in California wine country by visiting two of Sonoma County's most historic wineries. We arrived at Kenwood Vineyards just after 12PM and settled in for a fun and informative testing with our host Josh.

Josh guided us through some samples from all of Kenwood's tiers including a couple of nice values in the Sonoma Series. The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc was a big hit with our group and seemed like a steal at $12-$15.

Next, we enjoyed tastes of several wines from the Six Ridges Series. This tier of wines is not quite available for distribution in Ohio yet, but should be within the next month. Six Ridges is intended to be used mainly in restaurants for by the glass features, so keep an eye out for them on local wine lists soon.

Kenwood's Jack London Series has always been a personal favorite of mine. This tier delivers quality well above its usual $25-$35 price point. The 2013 Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet impressed our group. You can be certain that some Jack London wines will be featured in my events when I return home.

Finally, we enjoyed three vintage of the legendary Artist Series Cabernet. We did a side by side comparison of 2012 /2013 and there were some clearly defined differences. Generally, the 2012 seemed more approachable now, while the 2013 showed some serious cellaring potential over the next 10 years. We also purchased a 2007 Artist Series, which we enjoyed last night with dinner. The subtle layers of flavor and seamlessly interwoven tannins made enjoying this wine the special experience we were hoping for.

Thanks to Josh for his excellent hospitality and to Heidelberg Youngstown for arranging this visit. Up next in the Drinks Blog will be a recap of our wine and food experience at Kendall Jackson.

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