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Kenzo Estate

10 Wines from 7 Grape Varieties

Kenzo Estate ai Bottle Preview
Kenzo Estateai

ai represents the color indigo in the Japanese language and has been used in the ancient art of textile dyeing for thousands of years throughout Japan. Derived from plant material, indigo is a rare commodity, just as the wine that bears its name. With aging, both ai and indigo dye evolve and soften in texture and expression. Selected from the most superb barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon and enhanced by additional Bordeaux components, this wine is the boldest expression of the estate vineyards’ potential. The 2014 ai is a delicate bookend to the full-bodied wines of the past three vintages. The wine floats across the palate, its bright and alluring aromatics intermingle savory notes of white pepper and slate, offset by bright brambleberry and orange zest. Muscular, yet also refined, this wine balances silky tannins and bright acidity to create a structurally sound bottle that can be enjoyed now and into the next 15 years.

Kenzo Estate murasaki Bottle Preview
Kenzo Estatemurasaki

murasaki, meaning ‘purple’ in Japanese, also appropriately signifies the color of royalty. Utamaro, a renowned Ukiyoe painter in the Edo era, used colorful and elegant purples in his woodblock prints. This wine appropriately follows suit with its beautiful purple hue and expressive, delicate essence. murasaki is Kenzo Estate’s homage to the Merlot-influenced blends of Bordeaux’s famed Right Bank producers, where the wines are smooth, supple and elegant. Our winemaking team carefully selects the finest lots of Merlot to serve as the foundation for this limited production offering. The 2014 murasaki is brimming with seductive aromatics ranging from blueberry cobbler, to brioche, to cigar box. Flavors of dark fruit with a mineral backbone are tempered by soft Merlot tannins that grip ever so slightly. Enjoy this brilliant offering both now and as it continues to flourish in the bottle for years to come.

Kenzo Estate muku Bottle Preview
Kenzo Estatemuku

Representing purity and innocence in Japanese, muku is absolute euphoria in a bottle. Each year, muku is comprised of carefully selected one-acre blocks of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon which make their home at 1,400 feet in rocky, volcanic soils. The elevation and earth produce an intensely perfumed and concentrated juice. The delicate fruit is nurtured for an extra month on vine until golden brown, hand-harvested, and gently pressed to extract an almost syrup-like juice. In the cellar, the grapes are cold fermented to allow a slow sugar to alcohol conversion which is designed to preserve the muku’s heavenly bouquet. Fermentation ends at about 10 degrees brix to achieve the perfect marriage between sugar, acid and alcohol. Bursting with candied apricot, guava and peach, and hints of crisp minerality, this wine pairs perfectly with a cheese course, fruit galette, or simply on its own. Enjoy now, and enjoy often.