Vintage Notes

Our historic blend of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards is augmented in 2022 with fruit from the spectacular Coombsville estate planted by Warren Winiarski for a wine of both energy and opulence. In line with the previous bottlings, the wine is defined by the tension of citrus and honeyed aromas over a vibrant, saline, mineral finish. When Robert Parker was visiting, he called this the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa.

From the 6-acre original planting with some vines going back to the 1970s, this gnarly old vineyard miraculously gives us, year in year out, a wine completely unique in the world and offers proof of the French adage that the greatest vineyards are not subject to much vintage variation. It’s like a riddle: how can a wine be so sublimely subtle and so unbelievably intense at the same time? The Judge (John’s father) would have been 102 this year.

We have made Syrah from this 2+ acre vineyard in Carneros since the inception of the brand in 1996. Over 26 vintages it has been as distinctive from its competition as the Judge is from the rest of California Chardonnay. This Syrah is a force of Nature. Of course, we make a lot of winemaking decisions as the wine ferments and ages for the 20 months before bottling, but this wine’s magnificent, undeniable voice is beyond our control. More animal than vegetable, our savory Syrah lives in its own rarefied world–waiting for you to serve it with duck or something even wilder.

Estate White is the first vintage of a co-fermented blend of Viognier, Sauvignon blanc, and Chardonnay organically grown in our volcanic vineyards surrounding the winery on the eastern rim of Napa Valley. The wine was fermented and aged for 10 months in clay amphora and very old barrels, allowing this exotic blend to shine with all its luscious, hedonistic glory. The best qualities of the three varieties, unified by their common mountain terroir, are joined with breathtaking harmony. Look for orange zest, stone fruit and marzipan aromas floating over the luxurious corresponding flavors. Those who know the Kongsgaard history will recall the VioRous, conceived in a similar spirit.