page_title: Kenwood Vineyards
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Kenwood Vineyards / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Tasting room, Kenwood Vineyards, Kenwood, Calfornia.
context_page_description: Kenwood Vineyards is a winery in Kenwood, California, located on Highway 12 in the Sonoma Valley wine country. It is currently owned by Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
context_section_description: Kenwood Vineyards was established in 1970 at the site of the former Pagani Brothers Winery, a historic wine cellar built in 1906. It was founded in 1970 by John Sheela and his brothers-in-law, Mike and Marty Lee. They converted the jug wine facility into a modern winery.
  In 1975, winemaker Mike Lee hired Stan Stupich as a "cellar rat". Stupich remains a winemaker at Kenwood today.
  In 1976, Kenwood Vineyards acquired the exclusive rights to source grapes from the historic vineyards of Jack London Ranch.
  In 1978, local artist David Lance Goines was commissioned to create an original artwork to be used for the label of the 1975 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the first vintage of the Artist Series.
  Pat Henderson began working at Kenwood as a harvest intern in 1983. He left that year to attend U.C. Davis, but returned after graduation to be their winemaker for 9 years. When Mike Lee retired in 2003, Pat Henderson became Kenwood's as senior winemaker.
  In the early 1990s, a series of restaurant wines was launched, which included single varietals and blended wines.
  In 1996, F. Korbel & Bros., Inc. acquired a 50 percent stake in the winery. In 1999, Korbel acquired the remaining 50 percent and bought out the founders. Under Korbel's management, Kenwood nearly doubled in size. In 1996, they produced less than 300,000 cases. In 1999, they produced more than 500,000 cases.
  In 1999, Korbel sold Kenwood Vineyards to New York-based Banfi Vintners, the makers of Riunite. Korbel owner and president Gary Heck explained that the rationale for the sale was to prioritize the company's sparkling wine business. Said Heck, “Kenwood produces more than 550,000 cases of wine a year. It takes a lot of work and effort. It’s very profitable, but sparkling wine [consumption] is now at an all-time high [in America], so we want to put all our executive effort and focus on it.”
  In 2011, co-founder and winemaker Mike Lee died. Lee was called a "visionary winemaker" and a "master vintner" by The Press Democrat. In the 1970s, Lee helped establish Sonoma Valley as one of the first American Viticultural Areas at a time when the region was known for jug wine.
  In 2014, Pernod Ricard Winemakers acquired premium wine brand Kenwood Vineyards. The sum of the sale was undisclosed but was estimated by Reuters at less than $100 million.
caption: Kenwood Vineyards tasting room
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