Best bottle (Belsers Restaurant, Nürtingen): Glass: Spiegelau Definition Universal Powerful US Chardonnay. Very well made, for lovers of US Big Block V8 cars. I prefer more the classic elegance of Burgundy. 92-93
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years.
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Outstanding once again. This really needs some air to put on weight and give its full profile at this point. I suggest two hours of air or more to get this going, and it was best after slow ox under cork overnight.
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Not gonna rate this because it is just too young. FWIW I didn’t find this terribly buttery — and we had this with popcorn. It is a big CA chard, but it’s not overripe or flabby. This had a ferocious pithy/ mineral taste to it along with lemon and light floral aromas. I’m going to leave my other bottle for several years before I try this again.
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The one with Luca Roagna (Teochew Paradise): On first pour, this was interestingly tropical and exotic with pineapples, honeysuckle wax, jasmine and toast wafting from the glass. On the palate, this was somewhat of a gray area between precision and flabbyness - to an extent that it appeared slightly disjointed. There is fantastic acid here and good fruit concentration but this I think needs more time.
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Though I'd celebrate a little after the winter release and this seemed to fit the bill (although I had planned on saving it a bit longer).
On the nose, initially the tropics, but after a very short decant, more of a honeysuckle, fall garden feel where the bumble bees stagger-fly around fat and happy between flowers. First sip is like drinking something viscous - like a golden elixir of honey and flower-infused oil. You almost have to bite it off, it's as thick as a Frank Frazetta-vixen. Hints of honey, dulce de leche, wax, bitter almonds and oak. A lot of oak. A style that's very removed from the style I normally enjoy in Chardonnay, but you know what? It just works brilliantly in that opulent lane, simply because it's so perfectly balanced and made. It makes no excuses for its big personality and it knows it has all the eyes on it as it enters the room. A great indulgence and a great wine. I'm so happy this style exists - and dare I say it? - a uniquely American style.
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When the going got serious we called in the cavalry and the muscly , rich, properly balanced oaky Chardonnay took no prisoners. Young still but effortlessly bright, rich and oakyyes but in harmony and even had that soft waxy palate edge that its older sibling The Judge has. Full wine , joyful and stunning . 94
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Open THAT Bottle - Not That One...THAT One! (Dan's House): First Kongsgaard Chardonnay (not counting an older Judge that was less than impressive)...was told these were meant to be drunk young, and I believe that. The wine was delicious, but lacked acidity, IMO. Very buttery, with purity of fruit shining through! Lots of mango, melon and pear, with some Meyers lemon and toast oak. Mouth-coating and nice finish. I could drink these easily. Solid 94 for my palate.
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Nose:: Crisp apples, grilled pineapple, lemon custard, and citrus zest. Excellent nose that is very tropical, but lots of layers. Palate: broad entry with ripe tropical and orchard fruit, key lime pie and Graham cracker notes. Bit of ginger and allspice. Excellent acidity maintains freshness. Finish: lemon oil, pineapple skin and mouthwatering acids.
A really nice balanced Kongsgaard Chardonnay. The richness and acidity are turned up in measure and that leads to a fantastic large scaled wine that is not overripe or cloying.
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Rich yet nuanced, offers the best qualities of CA produced Chardonnay yet not cloying or over the top. The toast, vanilla etc are there yet also shows a back bone of citrus, citrus oils, shell. Excellent quality.
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Chardonnay Tasting: Tropical fruit, honey, brioche. Very good structure, this wine is full and rich, yet elegant. Obviously an entirely different wine than the Fèvre Les Clos poured besides it. Great now but needs at least 2 - 3 more years to really get going.
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Decanted for an hour and half and drank after the OO VGW. Smoky stone and peach aromatics. Not too oaky with nice precision and good structure on the palate. Drinking quite nicely but can develop more in a couple of years. First time try this producer and like it enough to order more but think Littorai is better.
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Clear deep gold; clean medium plus nose of butter, lemon meringue, croissant and vanilla; dry; high acidity; high alcohol; full body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of shortbread and buttered popcorn; long finish; drink now or in 5 years; as it warms up it becomes noticeably more buttery
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Decided to taste this right after opening (at American cellar temperature). Impressively good right now without any decanting: Honeyed tropical fruits, balanced acidity, coming along incredibly well. Phenomenal wine.
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Opened for about 6 hours before drinking. Deeper gold, but still youthful in color. Toasty oak, vanilla and a slight heat. Fresh corn husk and sweet floral note. Flavors are phenolic with almost a tannic strength. Roasted character, with sugary melon and tropical notes, bigger oily texture. Large framed, but balanced. Concentrated and complex. Really took some time to unfold, but absolutely excellent.
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(at Boulevard - SF) I have always been a fan of these wines yet I think this suffered being poured next to the Dauvissat. Oak and ripe fruit come to the fore - yet there is good depth and a fine feel. Came off a bit sweet. Was very surprised that the entire table liked the Chablis more as I thought this style would be more "popular". Would like to try again in a few years as these wines tend to age well. (9@)
Complex peach, smoke, and licorice aromatics. Rich supple fruit on the palate. Very ripe. Viscous texture. Low acidity. Off dry finish with a little heat. Drink up.
After about 2 hours of decanting, I get pine and oak with yellow stone fruits and berries. Coming along nicely. Hold for 2+ years or decant for 2+ hours if you open a bottle now.
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I understand I need to wait at least a year before new Kongsgaard Chardonnay releases are ready to drink. But I did want to check in with this new vintage, so...decanted for an hour, tasted at American cellar temperature. This wine is just starting to come together: Aromas of oak and alcohol tell me it's too early, but I expected that. Underneath I pick up on some lovely blue cheese notes plus a hint of the classic tropical essence that I love about this wine. The flavors are also at the early stages of coming into focus and finding balance, so be patient if you open this wine right now. Right now I get a lot of citrus pulp, medium oak, and hints of freshly-baked bread, all with a very dry finish. Give this wine time, it's worth the wait (either in the cellar or the decanter). I agree with the prior (excellent) note: 3 years is a good starting point for cellar time. Recommend decanting for 2 hours at least right now.
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A trace of pineapple and succulent lemon curd are overlaid with vanilla and marshmallow notes, making for a familiar California profile but thankfully with minimally reserved levels of perceived confection. The intermediate drop of flavor provides medium depth, with ripe yellow citrus elements pushing past the youthfully prominent saccharine lumber elements. Finishes with touches of fresh peach and unsweetened powdered sugar skirting the crest of the otherwise deep lemon and subtly exotic fruit flavors. With air, the Hawaiian tropic vibe swells, signaling the need for further integration and development. Ultimately this manages to skirt being overly slathered, viscous, or sweet.
For those who find comfort in an Aubert comparison, consider this Kongsgaard a more intermediate wood-influenced and less heated version. Compared to the Judge (to which I admittedly have only recent and somewhat limited experience), this “general” Chardonnay is less intense and concentrated than its beefier big brother (no surprises on that).
Hold for 3+ years, especially if you aren’t especially sympathetic to demonstratively honeyed expressions. 92-94 points.
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5/8/2024 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote: 92 Points
Best bottle (Belsers Restaurant, Nürtingen): Glass: Spiegelau Definition Universal
Powerful US Chardonnay. Very well made, for lovers of US Big Block V8 cars. I prefer more the classic elegance of Burgundy. 92-93
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4/11/2024 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine: 93 Points
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years.
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3/25/2024 - RockinCabs wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding once again. This really needs some air to put on weight and give its full profile at this point. I suggest two hours of air or more to get this going, and it was best after slow ox under cork overnight.
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3/15/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:
Not gonna rate this because it is just too young. FWIW I didn’t find this terribly buttery — and we had this with popcorn. It is a big CA chard, but it’s not overripe or flabby. This had a ferocious pithy/ mineral taste to it along with lemon and light floral aromas.
I’m going to leave my other bottle for several years before I try this again.
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1/28/2024 - RobinTeo wrote: 91 Points
The one with Luca Roagna (Teochew Paradise): On first pour, this was interestingly tropical and exotic with pineapples, honeysuckle wax, jasmine and toast wafting from the glass. On the palate, this was somewhat of a gray area between precision and flabbyness - to an extent that it appeared slightly disjointed. There is fantastic acid here and good fruit concentration but this I think needs more time.
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1/28/2024 - Sean Tay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of creamy, toast, buttery, pear, apple. High acidity. Well balanced on the palate.
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1/26/2024 - S-F wrote: 94 Points
Though I'd celebrate a little after the winter release and this seemed to fit the bill (although I had planned on saving it a bit longer).
On the nose, initially the tropics, but after a very short decant, more of a honeysuckle, fall garden feel where the bumble bees stagger-fly around fat and happy between flowers. First sip is like drinking something viscous - like a golden elixir of honey and flower-infused oil. You almost have to bite it off, it's as thick as a Frank Frazetta-vixen. Hints of honey, dulce de leche, wax, bitter almonds and oak. A lot of oak. A style that's very removed from the style I normally enjoy in Chardonnay, but you know what? It just works brilliantly in that opulent lane, simply because it's so perfectly balanced and made. It makes no excuses for its big personality and it knows it has all the eyes on it as it enters the room. A great indulgence and a great wine. I'm so happy this style exists - and dare I say it? - a uniquely American style.
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11/24/2023 - Gcole42 wrote:
Zareen Palo Alto
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9/6/2023 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
When the going got serious we called in the cavalry and the muscly , rich, properly balanced oaky Chardonnay took no prisoners. Young still but effortlessly bright, rich and oakyyes but in harmony and even had that soft waxy palate edge that its older sibling The Judge has. Full wine , joyful and stunning . 94
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6/16/2023 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Open that bottle - Jason chooses 2012 Chateau La Violette: Stereotypical modern California chardonnay. Big and buttery, probably slightly lacking in acid. For what it is, it excels.
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6/15/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Open THAT Bottle - Not That One...THAT One! (Dan's House): First Kongsgaard Chardonnay (not counting an older Judge that was less than impressive)...was told these were meant to be drunk young, and I believe that. The wine was delicious, but lacked acidity, IMO. Very buttery, with purity of fruit shining through! Lots of mango, melon and pear, with some Meyers lemon and toast oak. Mouth-coating and nice finish. I could drink these easily. Solid 94 for my palate.
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6/11/2023 - maaike2 wrote: 93 Points
At Ai Fiori. Despite its youth, great to drink. Rich, well balanced, super acids, long. A jewel.
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4/29/2023 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 94 Points
This was really enjoyable from the start. Big and round California style but with excellent freshness.
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11/25/2022 - JCR50 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A well structured CA Chardonnay with a great balance of acidity, oak and hint of citrus.
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11/17/2022 - laralh wrote: 91 Points
Sitron, kalk, litt grapefrukt og marsipan.
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10/8/2022 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose:: Crisp apples, grilled pineapple, lemon custard, and citrus zest. Excellent nose that is very tropical, but lots of layers. Palate: broad entry with ripe tropical and orchard fruit, key lime pie and Graham cracker notes. Bit of ginger and allspice. Excellent acidity maintains freshness. Finish: lemon oil, pineapple skin and mouthwatering acids.
A really nice balanced Kongsgaard Chardonnay. The richness and acidity are turned up in measure and that leads to a fantastic large scaled wine that is not overripe or cloying.
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9/1/2022 - T.E.D. wrote: 93 Points
Rich yet nuanced, offers the best qualities of CA produced Chardonnay yet not cloying or over the top. The toast, vanilla etc are there yet also shows a back bone of citrus, citrus oils, shell. Excellent quality.
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7/17/2022 - Quinn05 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Chardonnay Tasting: Tropical fruit, honey, brioche. Very good structure, this wine is full and rich, yet elegant. Obviously an entirely different wine than the Fèvre Les Clos poured besides it. Great now but needs at least 2 - 3 more years to really get going.
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6/30/2022 - WKC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour and half and drank after the OO VGW. Smoky stone and peach aromatics. Not too oaky with nice precision and good structure on the palate. Drinking quite nicely but can develop more in a couple of years. First time try this producer and like it enough to order more but think Littorai is better.
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5/22/2022 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clear deep gold; clean medium plus nose of butter, lemon meringue, croissant and vanilla; dry; high acidity; high alcohol; full body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of shortbread and buttered popcorn; long finish; drink now or in 5 years; as it warms up it becomes noticeably more buttery
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5/12/2022 - huevosconvino Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decided to taste this right after opening (at American cellar temperature). Impressively good right now without any decanting: Honeyed tropical fruits, balanced acidity, coming along incredibly well. Phenomenal wine.
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4/7/2022 - P.A. Cross wrote:
Opened for about 6 hours before drinking. Deeper gold, but still youthful in color. Toasty oak, vanilla and a slight heat. Fresh corn husk and sweet floral note. Flavors are phenolic with almost a tannic strength. Roasted character, with sugary melon and tropical notes, bigger oily texture. Large framed, but balanced. Concentrated and complex. Really took some time to unfold, but absolutely excellent.
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3/4/2022 - dbkitc wrote: 92 Points
(at Boulevard - SF) I have always been a fan of these wines yet I think this suffered being poured next to the Dauvissat. Oak and ripe fruit come to the fore - yet there is good depth and a fine feel. Came off a bit sweet. Was very surprised that the entire table liked the Chablis more as I thought this style would be more "popular". Would like to try again in a few years as these wines tend to age well. (9@)
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12/8/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 88 Points
Complex peach, smoke, and licorice aromatics. Rich supple fruit on the palate. Very ripe. Viscous texture. Low acidity. Off dry finish with a little heat. Drink up.
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12/3/2021 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
After about 2 hours of decanting, I get pine and oak with yellow stone fruits and berries. Coming along nicely. Hold for 2+ years or decant for 2+ hours if you open a bottle now.
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11/5/2021 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
I understand I need to wait at least a year before new Kongsgaard Chardonnay releases are ready to drink. But I did want to check in with this new vintage, so...decanted for an hour, tasted at American cellar temperature. This wine is just starting to come together: Aromas of oak and alcohol tell me it's too early, but I expected that. Underneath I pick up on some lovely blue cheese notes plus a hint of the classic tropical essence that I love about this wine. The flavors are also at the early stages of coming into focus and finding balance, so be patient if you open this wine right now. Right now I get a lot of citrus pulp, medium oak, and hints of freshly-baked bread, all with a very dry finish. Give this wine time, it's worth the wait (either in the cellar or the decanter). I agree with the prior (excellent) note: 3 years is a good starting point for cellar time. Recommend decanting for 2 hours at least right now.
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11/5/2021 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
A trace of pineapple and succulent lemon curd are overlaid with vanilla and marshmallow notes, making for a familiar California profile but thankfully with minimally reserved levels of perceived confection. The intermediate drop of flavor provides medium depth, with ripe yellow citrus elements pushing past the youthfully prominent saccharine lumber elements. Finishes with touches of fresh peach and unsweetened powdered sugar skirting the crest of the otherwise deep lemon and subtly exotic fruit flavors. With air, the Hawaiian tropic vibe swells, signaling the need for further integration and development. Ultimately this manages to skirt being overly slathered, viscous, or sweet.
For those who find comfort in an Aubert comparison, consider this Kongsgaard a more intermediate wood-influenced and less heated version. Compared to the Judge (to which I admittedly have only recent and somewhat limited experience), this “general” Chardonnay is less intense and concentrated than its beefier big brother (no surprises on that).
Hold for 3+ years, especially if you aren’t especially sympathetic to demonstratively honeyed expressions. 92-94 points.
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