Kenzo
Ten years ago during one our regular visits to the Napa Valley, we scheduled a tour and tasting at Kenzo Estate Winery created by Capcom founder Kenzo Tsujimoto. The 3800 acres purchased in 1990 by Capcom was originally envisioned as a company retreat but when those plans fell through, Tsujimoto-san purchased the land from his company and in 2005, produced their first vintage. A decade ago, Kenzo offered three levels of tasting starting with a simple tasting, tasting plus winery tour and tasting, tour and “bento” lunch from Bouchon Bistro – we opted for the tasting and tour which was ~$60 per person. Kenzo produces three Cabernet Sauvignon blends, a Cabernet Franc, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Rose three different sparkling wines which range from $86 to $280. While the Cabernet blends were all delicious and drinkable even upon release, the tastings and wines are now well above our budget. The wine tasting to the tasting, tour and Kenzo Napa bento now run between $80 up to $235 per person.
Mikami Vineyards
After viewing the original Nikkei Wine video, I did manage to get on the Mikami Vineyards mail list and was subsequently offered wine to purchase which I have done on several occasions. The Mikami family first planted grapevines in Lodi in 1902 and was only interrupted during their incarceration in the Rohwer Camp during World War II. Since then, 3rd generation owner Jason Mikami has produced three different red wines; a Zinfandel, a Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre (GSM) blend and a Petite Sirah as well as two Rose, one from Zinfandel and one from their GSM grapes with total production about 600 cases per year.
2020 Zinfandel ($42)
Semi-dried cherry, allspice and a hint of black pepper on the nose with a balanced palate flow despite the 15.3% abv and medium finish. This paired with a wide variety of foods including a salmon spread and perfect with charcuterie.
2023 Zinfandel Rose ($29)
Though pink hued Zinfandel or White Zinfandel gave a bad rap to Rose wines, this Rose is vinified totally dry with aromas of Maraschino cherries and candied orange peel with a full body and medium finish. It also has the darkest pink hue I’ve seen in a Rose.
2023 GSM Rose ($29)
Very light in color with candied orange peel and dried cranberry on the nose. Very balanced on the palate with a medium short finish.
Noria Wines
Nori Nakamura originally arrived in the San Francisco in 1999 to work as the catering manager at the Nikko Hotel. While working for JAL Hotels, he obtained his sommelier certificate but consumed mainly French and Italian wines but after arriving in the Bay Area, sampled his first Californian wines and realized he needed to drink and study more California wines. Within the year, he realized that wine was his passion and eventually enrolled at UC Davis earning his Viticulture and Enology degree in just two years. In 2010 he started Noria Wines – a take on both his name and the Spanish word for waterwheel as “the image of water, nature and the basic energy of life associated with waterwheels overlaps with the elements of wine.” Since then, his wines were made at the Napa custom crush facility Silenus and just last year moved into his own winery located in Berkeley. Noria’s niche in the competitive wine market is he tries to make elegant wines that pair with Japanese cuisine. They produce four Pinot Noir, a Sauvignon Blanc that has a touch of Gewurztraminer, a Chardonnay and a sparkling wine (only available to Wine Club members at the winery) with total production about 1500 cases per year.
2022 Sauvignon Blanc Bevill Family Vineyard ($30)
Very light straw color with kiwi, pear, lime and just a touch of apricot on the nose. Nice acid though light on the palate with a medium short finish. Nakamura-san makes this wine in the style of daiginjo sake.
2022 Chardonnay ($34)
Very light straw color unlike traditional Chardonnay. Balanced nose of mineral, chalk and limestone with lemon. Balanced on the palate with good acid and mineral with a medium finish. Very Chablis-like. Nakamura-san makes this wine in the junmai ginjo style of sake. This wine was the consensus winner in the Tatsumoto household.
2022 Pinot Noir Umino Vineyard ($50)
Lighter in color almost Beaujolais-like with dried sour cherry, a touch of cola and warm, savory spices on the nose. Balanced acid and fruit on the palate with a medium long finish. More about elegance than fruit.
Still Haven’t Sampled
There are several wineries featured on the You Tube video that I likely won’t be sampling. Though Kanpai Wines has an interesting selection of wines, shipping to the 50th is a little out of my price range with the 6 bottle shipping fee being $174. Six Cloves Wines also has an interesting selection of wines but the shipping fee for 6 bottles is $119.63. However, since both wineries are based in Northern California, I’m sure the shipping fee for Bay Area residents are significantly lower than shipping to the 50th.
Other Nikkei Owned Wineries
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