| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 43 notes) - hiding notes with no text |
| | Tasted by Verb on 4/4/2020 & rated 93 points: medium yellow with no hint of oxidation - forward aromatic red apple/ripe pear nose with only a touch of oak - full ripe fruit in the mouth mouth - medium body with crisp acidity that complimented tempura very nicely - medium length smooth 10-15 finish - I was delightfully surprised by how well this has held up over 12 years, and has developed better than my last bottle - much more enjoyable than the bigger, more extracted and oakier Kongsgaard chards I've had (not that I don't like them - just like this style better) (587 views) |
| | Tasted by Acohen on 6/4/2018 & rated 92 points: Lots of pear and apple with rich mouthfeel and balance (831 views) |
| | Tasted by Verb on 2/11/2018 & rated 90 points: ripe chardonnay nose of ripe apples and pears - medium rich mouth with very nice acid-fruit balance - medium finish - a very good excellently balanced CA chard, but not exciting (859 views) |
| | Tasted by Mark H. LeQuire on 3/21/2015 & rated 94 points: Our first taste. No flaws. Golden Yellow color. No significant rim variation. No sediment. Burgundian nose and aromas. Very European. No tannin. Low acid. Medium alcohol and finish. Paired perfectly with Tom Yum-Style Shrimp and Noodles. Ready to drink. Still easily within its drinking window. (2287 views) |
| | Tasted by suttonri on 6/2/2012: Just a really nice qpr Cali chard. Try this if you come across it. You won't regret it. Served with chicken teriyaki kabobs grilled over alder, and baby leeks caramelized in olive oil, then finished with chicken broth and teriyaki sauce. (4936 views) |
| | Tasted by mmcdds on 1/27/2012 & rated 92 points: Again, consistent with previous notes, this is a big, ripe, buttery napa chardonnay with a bright acidic core and a long, mouthwatering finish. Very nicely done. (4814 views) |
| | Tasted by suttonri on 10/23/2011: Consistent with prior bottles. Still sings, especially for the price, but a surpringly mediocre to poor match for Fuchsia Dunlop's crispy sweet and sour fish recipe. Got a bit rough around the edges with the meal. Neither the wine nor the meal enhanced the other. (5307 views) |
| | Tasted by jaylew1 on 10/4/2011 & rated 93 points: Lemon on the nose. Apples and pears on the palate. And a dollop of acidity to go along with all that fruit. Not oaky at all. Very nice stuff. I wouldn't mind if the big wine from this producer had this style. (5380 views) |
| | Tasted by suttonri on 9/12/2011 & rated 92 points: Mostly red apples with a little pear and less lemon on the palate. Refreshing acidity but by no means shrill with some minerality and a tasteful drop of oak. Great QPR at its price. (4252 views) |
| | Tasted by Acohen on 7/1/2011 & rated 92 points: Fabulous big chard but not oaky at all. Lots of apple, lemon and plenty of acidity and back bone. (2941 views) |
| | Tasted by mmcdds on 6/29/2011 & rated 92 points: Big bold Napa chardonnay with candied apple, pear and mineral undertones with a bright acidic core on the 30 second+ finish. This is made very much in the style of its big brothers. Qutie a nice bottle of wine if you're a fan of big Napa chards (2940 views) |
| | Tasted by WineArchitect on 6/27/2011 & rated 92 points: Clear golden color. Aromatics of lemon with hints of caramel or brioche. This wine tates like lemons and creme brulee with a back core of terroir. I love this wine and I can's seem to find anymore, anywhere. Please assist. EG Wine Architect #wine (3046 views) |
| | Tasted by rdsboca on 6/11/2011 & rated 91 points: Very consistent experience with past tastings. Bright citrus and lemon with just the right amount of oak. It may be slightly lighter in style than its more expensive big brother but still delivers a great chard experience, especially for the price. (3152 views) |
| | Tasted by rdsboca on 5/26/2011 & rated 93 points: What a great chard. Lemon zest, citrus, excellent acidity. Lack the serious depth that the regular chard has but it is a fraction of the price. I loved it. Delivered today and I couldn't keep my hands off of it. (3400 views) |
| | Tasted by drbdorfman on 5/20/2011 & rated 92 points: Beautiful nose of citrus and grass. Also some hay. A very nice wine from Kongsgaard at an even better price point. Granted this is not like drinking "The Judge" but does have similar structure to the Kongsgaard Chard. A definite must have for the cellar I only bought 9 bottles now I am wishing I had bought more (3589 views) |
| | Tasted by RMundell on 5/15/2011 & rated 92 points: very nice balance. (3489 views) |
| | Tasted by WineArchitect on 5/9/2011 & rated 92 points: Beautifull golden color. Aromas of lemon layers and hay. The first taste is a bit lemon zest and deep terrior in a mouthfilling finish. Glad I choose the Kings Farm over one of my white Burgundies. A sensual experience in every bottle that puts a smile on my face each time. Some may say the wine is a nit over oaked, but there are many degrees of intensity. Need to purchase more for my buddy, Peter G. EG WineArchitect (3418 views) |
| | Tasted by WineArchitect on 4/29/2011 & rated 92 points: This was the fourth wine of the EONY DineAround. Wow, what a solid new second label wine from the Kongsgaard family. Slightly deeper in color, but the terroir was right up front in the nose and in the mouth. If your looking for a great quality versus price, this is it! EG. WineArchitect (3498 views) |
| | Tasted by mmcdds on 4/29/2011 & rated 90 points: After drinking Kongsgaard's Chardonnay(not The Judge) for a number of years, I was excited to taste their "more affordable" offering and I am certainly not disappointed. I find this wine to be stylistically similar to it's older siblings, but with an overall lighter feel to it and since I personally am not a real fan of massive California chardonnays, I believe that I like this much better than their other bottlings. The wine is med bodied with pear, candy apple, floral notes and mineral undertones with a bright, crisp finish of med length. Everything seems to come together quite harmoniously. I find this to be a very well done wine. (3379 views) |
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| Kongsgaard Producer website | Kongsgaard discussion at calwineries.com
John and Maggie Kongsgaard own one of California’s few cult wine labels. Along with their estate vineyard east of the town of Napa, they also buy grapes from Carneros and St Helena. Human intervention is kept to a minimum at every step of the winemaking process. Owners John and Maggie Kongsgaard recently built a new winemaking facility in a cave east of the town of St Helena. They made their first vintage there in 2006.
“The Judge” is one of the most sought after Chardonnays in California. It is made with grapes from hillside vines grown east of the town of Napa. Amazingly, only one-half of a bottle is made from each vine. The wine is named after John Kongsgaard’s father, who was a judge in Napa for many years.
The Kongsgaard Napa Valley Chardonnay is made with grapes from the same estate vineyard as The Judge. It was fermented and aged in new French oak barrels with gentle lees stirring. It was not fined or filtered before bottling.
The Kongsgaard Napa Valley Syrah is made with grapes purchased from Hudson Vineyard in the Carneros AVA. The 2.7 acres of Syrah on Lee Hudson’s property are thinned to once cluster grape cluster per shoot, making yields very low. It is aged in 50% new French oak barrels for 2 years and is not fined or filtered.
Kongsgaard also makes a very small amount of a Viognier and Roussanne blend. It is fermented with its natural yeast and is aged in French oak for 10 months.Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
