Kunde Family Winery

Vines went into this ranch in 1879 and it now runs to 1,850 acres with caves under it. Twenty-five dollars gets you the cave and a tasting; a hundred gets you driven to a deck at 1,400 feet.3 2

Why go

The Mountain Top Tour is the thing. It runs two hours, Thursday to Sunday at noon and three.2 The route goes through the caves and up the vineyard to a tasting deck at 1,400 feet.2 A hundred dollars a head, or eighty for club members, and it stops for the season on 9 November.2 Sonoma Magazine's line about what it is like up there is worth having: On a quiet morning, one can almost hear an acorn drop on the valley floor below or a conversation between cyclists pedaling on Highway 12.3

The ownership changed hands on 16 October 2024. Jay Adair, executive chairman of Copart, and his wife Tammi bought Kunde out of the Vintage Wine Estates bankruptcy.1 The lot ran to $85 million and took in Clos Pegase, Girard, Viansa and B.R. Cohn.1 Adair made his son-in-law Davis Keene president of the new group.1 Kunde's own visit page now offers discounts across all the Adair estates.2 Sonoma Magazine still describes a century of Kunde family operation, and that account predates the sale.3

Order this / avoid

Order: the Daily Tour and Tasting at $25. It runs once, at 11am, takes no reservation and includes the cave.2
Order: the Mountain Top Tour at $100 while the season lasts, for the reserve and tasting-room-only wines with cheese and charcuterie on the deck.3 2
Order: the Cave Tasting from November, which is library and reserve wines underground and runs until March.2 3
Avoid: bringing a dog to the tour formats. The Kinneybrook seated tasting takes one leashed dog per reservation and the tours take none.2

What locals & experts say

Sonoma Magazine, on the Mountain Top: The most mesmerizing way to gauge their commitment is to enjoy the two-hour Mountain Top Tasting ($100), which includes reserve-tier and tasting room-exclusive wines matched with cheeses and charcuterie.3
Jay Adair, on what he intends to do with the five wineries he bought (SF Chronicle, 25 October 2024): We're going to spend the money and we're going to make the product great.1

Good to know

Open daily 10:30am to 5pm. The 202 Lounge takes walk-ins at $25 between 10:30 and 3:30.2
Cancel 48 hours out or you pay: the no-show fees run $45 a head on the seated tasting and $100 on the Mountain Top. Parties of eight or more carry a 20 percent gratuity.2
Locals get 10 percent off Monday to Thursday with a Napa or Sonoma driver's licence.2
The tours are 21 and over and take no pets or outside food.2

Verdict

could-visit — The reason to come is that they will drive you up the hill: two hours, Thursday to Sunday, ending on a tasting deck with reserve wines and charcuterie for $100, and it stops for the season on 9 November. The everyday version is better value than most of the valley, once a day at eleven, with no booking, and the cave is included. Local drivers get 10 percent off Monday to Thursday. Nobody outside the winery has written about the wine, and the ownership moved: Jay Adair bought Kunde with four other wineries out of the Vintage Wine Estates bankruptcy on 16 October 2024, so any copy calling it a century of one family is out of date.

Kunde Family Winery.