Saralee Kunde Dies at 66

Saralee McClelland Kunde, a Sonoma grapegrower who championed the county’s wine and food for nearly three decades and planted her own acclaimed vineyards in the Russian River Valley, died Jan. 26 after a long battle with cancer. She was 66.

Kunde was well-respected by vintners and farmers for her passion and commitment to Sonoma’s agricultural communities. “She was a person with a real big heart and a lot of energy,” said Bob Cabral of Williams Selyem, who met Kunde through the Russian River Valley Winegrowers association. “She will be greatly missed.”

Kunde dedicated much of her life to supporting and promoting Sonoma’s bounty of grapes, wines and more. She served as a director of the Sonoma County Fair and Harvest Fair and was a founding member of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers.

“Everything she touched in terms of agriculture was for the benefit of everybody,” said Richard Arrowood of Amapola Creek winery. Arrowood bought his first Viognier grapes from Kunde in 1991 and made wines from her Saralee’s Vineyard until selling his namesake winery. “To work with Saralee was an extreme pleasure. It was always ‘can do’ with her.”

Born in Marin, Calif., Kunde was raised by dairy farmers. Her Irish-American parents entered the dairy industry in the late 1930s and later bought a ranch in Petaluma, founding a dairy that’s still operated by the family. Kunde helped raise the family’s Holstein cattle and at age 9 started presenting them at local fairs. While working for the Sonoma County Fair she met Richard Kunde. They married in 1982.

In 1989, Kunde and her husband planted a 200-acre vineyard in the Russian River Valley, naming it Saralee’s Vineyard. The Kundes, who are not affiliated with Kunde Winery, produced 14 different varieties, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and their grapes were highly sought by wineries including Acacia, Joseph Swan, Arrowood, Kenwood and St. Francis. The couple also planted two separate vineyards and named them after their children, Catherine and Matthew.

Kunde took great pride in her grapes and was very concerned about their quality. She would accompany grape deliveries to personally check the loads at the wineries. “She would follow [the grapes] literally all the way to the tank,” said Cabral.

The Kundes decided to sell Saralee’s Vineyard in 2012 to Jackson Family Wines, which had been buying their grapes for years. The sale included Richard’s Grove, a venue the Kundes had long used to host auctions and fund-raising events. The couple retained 80 acres of vines and continued to sell their grapes, stating at the time that they wanted to downsize.

Kunde is survived by her husband, Richard, daughter Catherine and son Matthew.