Vintage Notes
June 2022
2020 Kongsgaard Chardonnay
Our historic blend of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards shows the classic tangerine oil and crème brûlée richness of aroma over intense marzipan and nectarine flavors. The palate is broad, but still well mannered. The finish is long and positively saline–dare we say “minerality?” Back when Robert Parker was visiting, he called this the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa.
2020 Kongsgaard The Judge Chardonnay
From the 6-acre original planting with some vines going back to the 1970s, this gnarly old vineyard miraculously gives us a wine completely unique in the world. 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 100 this year. He would be proud of his son and grandson.
2020 Kongsgaard Syrah
We have been massaging this 2+ acres of Syrah in Carneros since 1996 to create a wine as distinct from its colleagues in California as the Judge is from the rest of California Chardonnay. 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.
2020 Kongsgaard Cabernet Sauvignon
Something new from Kongsgaard. The blessing of losing our Cabernet crop in the fire was finding our way into a friend’s truly miraculous, ancient vineyard in the heart of Rutherford. This classic vineyard is a cornerstone of Napa’s glory. The old poetry about Cabernet applies to this one: “power and grace…”
2021 Kongsgaard Napa Valley Viognier
This single acre of vineyard next to the winery contains the results of John’s lifetime quest to collect the most interesting Viognier vines from the Rhone and the pioneers of the California Rhone movement. The winemaking is simple. Old barrels, wild yeast, let the malolactic go, and bottle it before the next vintage to capture the freshness. Imagine eating a fresh peach on a warm summer day.
Kongsgaard Vineyard