Kenzo Estate

Located in the middle of nowhere (literally), Kenzo Estate is situated on over 4,000 acres, out of which 70 are vineyards. My family had been raving about it and my brother had brought me back a couple bottles when he went in February. I found out that the wine bar I frequently walked by and wanted to try in Tokyo was actually their tasting room (I ended up going before I came back to CA).

My sister has been to LOTS of wineries in Napa Valley and she said nothing compares to Kenzo and that it is "THE most prestigious wine tasting experience".

Kenzo Estate entrace.

You have to make a tasting appointment ahead of time and call them when you arrive to open the gate.

Follow the one-way road through the vineyards...

to arrive at the Tasting Room.

Gorgeous outdoor area. So serene and relaxing.

They take each party on a private, very detailed tour to walk through the wine caves, processing area and the vineyards.

Our guide, Julia, explained to us how the grapes are grown, harvested and how the wines are made. She was so amazing, with lots of information and just the most friendliest person.

When we go back to the tasting room, our table is all set up. They only have one party per about every 1.5 hours, so that everyone gets a very personal and private tasting/tour experience.

After a glass of their only white wine, Asatsuyu (Sauvignon Blanc), we go on to try their 3 reds; Rindo, Murasaki & Ai.

Loved the design and simple interior.

They only produce these 4 wines. My favorite is Ai, their Cab. It's very full bodied, yet so smooth and delicate. My second favorite is Rindo, but I enjoyed all of them. 

Tasting for all 4 wines start at $30. When comparing it to the Opus One tasting (strictly $30/glass), it is more of an "exprience". There are separate glasses specifically designed for each wine and for such an intimate tasting and very personal tour, I thought it was SO much more worth it than Opus One. Julia was also very generous and gave us a couple extra pours, or in her terms let us "revisit" our favorite. 

As you can tell from the name of the winery and wines, the owner is Japanese. Kenzo Tsujimoto, the CEO of Capcom, had bought this piece of land more than 20 years ago to fulfill his dream of producing quality wines.

It is absolutely worth it to take the trip out to Kenzo, when in Napa.