Fifth-generation Napa native, John Kongsgaard knows great wine. With a background that includes winemaking for renowned estates such as Luna, Newton, and Arietta, John's experience is just one factor that contributes to the success of Kongsgaard Wine.
The winery's 150-acre estate in Atlas Peak, located in one of the highest vineyards in Napa County, allows Kongsgaard to produce European-style wines in a cool climate. Their intensely farmed, shy-bearing vineyards and low-intervention winemaking produce powerful, graceful wines – vivid expressions of vineyard and variety with volumes limited to what the small family team can produce with their own hands.
"The overall quality level here is absolutely remarkable. The Chardonnays remain among the most exquisite in California." Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The Judge, named in honour of John's father, is meticulously crafted in the Burgundian style by John and his son, and with only approximately 300 cases produced each year, these wines are notoriously hard to come by.
Sourced from a single collector, today we have a rare parcel of Kongsgaard The Judge to offer you.
Scoring up to a perfect 100 points (WA), descriptors such as fabulous, powerful , pure, nuanced and stunning are splashed all over the tasting notes below, with consistently high scores to match.
Currently on their way to LCB, The Judge will be available for delivery in the next few weeks. These wines are in fantastic condition, having been stored under temperature control at the collector's home, and are therefore duty paid.
The winery's 150-acre estate in Atlas Peak, located in one of the highest vineyards in Napa County, allows Kongsgaard to produce European-style wines in a cool climate. Their intensely farmed, shy-bearing vineyards and low-intervention winemaking produce powerful, graceful wines – vivid expressions of vineyard and variety with volumes limited to what the small family team can produce with their own hands.
"The overall quality level here is absolutely remarkable. The Chardonnays remain among the most exquisite in California." Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The Judge, named in honour of John's father, is meticulously crafted in the Burgundian style by John and his son, and with only approximately 300 cases produced each year, these wines are notoriously hard to come by.
Sourced from a single collector, today we have a rare parcel of Kongsgaard The Judge to offer you.
Scoring up to a perfect 100 points (WA), descriptors such as fabulous, powerful , pure, nuanced and stunning are splashed all over the tasting notes below, with consistently high scores to match.
Currently on their way to LCB, The Judge will be available for delivery in the next few weeks. These wines are in fantastic condition, having been stored under temperature control at the collector's home, and are therefore duty paid.
|
Wine |
Qty |
Price ex VAT per bottle |
Score |
|
2011 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
2 |
£795.00 |
96 AG |
|
2014 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
2 |
£695.00 |
98 WA |
|
2015 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
3 |
£695.00 |
98-100 WA |
|
2016 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
1 |
£795.00 |
100 WA |
|
2018 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
1 |
£785.00 |
97-99+ WA |
|
2020 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley (750ml) |
1 |
£645.00 |
96 AG |
These are the actual bottles you will receive
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2020
96 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2020 Chardonnay The Judge is fabulous. It is also easily one of the wines of the vintage. Bright and vibrant, the 2020 is all class. The 2020 is not as opulent as these wines used to be, but no matter, all the elements are so well balanced. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice, minerals and a kiss of French oak all build effortlessly into a crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. Drinking Window: 2023-2030. (By Antonio Galloni on October 2022)
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2018
97-99+ Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay The Judge (a barrel sample) leaps from the glass with vivacious notes of mandarin peel, lemongrass and lime leaves with a core of fresh pink grapefruit, green guava and apple blossom plus wafts of shaved almonds and wet pebbles. Full-bodied, the palate delivers a powerful core of tropical fruit and savory layers with a lively line of freshness and a pleasantly oily texture, finishing long and zesty. Very pure, very delineated and wonderfully chalky at the very end.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2016
100 Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
Bottled in June 2018, the 2016 Chardonnay The Judge opens a little reticently with slowly unfurling notions of lime leaves, yuzu and freshly squeezed lemons with notes of honeyed white peaches and crème brûlée followed by crushed rocks, lemongrass and praline plus a waft of peach blossoms. Full-bodied with fantastic richness and so many layers, the classic The Judge savoriness comes through in spades in the mid-palate with a seductively silken texture and epically long, mineral and spice-tinged finish.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2015
98-100 Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
A barrel sample to be bottled around July 2018, the 2015 Chardonnay The Judge offers up very pretty orange blossom and jasmine notes with a core of lemon curd, pink grapefruit and guava plus buttered toast and praline. Full-bodied, wonderfully creamy, spicy and gregarious, it has so much verve and expression, finishing very long, layered and minerally.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2014
98 Points | Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chardonnay The Judge (275 cases) emerges from his best parcel, which was planted in 1976 and 1990 on St. George rootstock in rocky, malnourished soils that rarely give up more than one ton of fruit per acre. This is a fabulous Chardonnay, and certainly one of the Chardonnays of the vintage.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2011
96 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2011 Chardonnay The Judge has come together beautifully since I tasted it last year. Lemon, white flowers, crushed rocks and pears meld together in a totally seamless Chardonnay endowed with stunning depth and purity. There are no hard edges at all in this impeccable, nuanced Chardonnay. This is a great showing from Kongsgaard.
96 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2020 Chardonnay The Judge is fabulous. It is also easily one of the wines of the vintage. Bright and vibrant, the 2020 is all class. The 2020 is not as opulent as these wines used to be, but no matter, all the elements are so well balanced. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice, minerals and a kiss of French oak all build effortlessly into a crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. Drinking Window: 2023-2030. (By Antonio Galloni on October 2022)
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2018
97-99+ Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay The Judge (a barrel sample) leaps from the glass with vivacious notes of mandarin peel, lemongrass and lime leaves with a core of fresh pink grapefruit, green guava and apple blossom plus wafts of shaved almonds and wet pebbles. Full-bodied, the palate delivers a powerful core of tropical fruit and savory layers with a lively line of freshness and a pleasantly oily texture, finishing long and zesty. Very pure, very delineated and wonderfully chalky at the very end.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2016
100 Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
Bottled in June 2018, the 2016 Chardonnay The Judge opens a little reticently with slowly unfurling notions of lime leaves, yuzu and freshly squeezed lemons with notes of honeyed white peaches and crème brûlée followed by crushed rocks, lemongrass and praline plus a waft of peach blossoms. Full-bodied with fantastic richness and so many layers, the classic The Judge savoriness comes through in spades in the mid-palate with a seductively silken texture and epically long, mineral and spice-tinged finish.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2015
98-100 Points | Lisa Perotti Brown, Wine Advocate
A barrel sample to be bottled around July 2018, the 2015 Chardonnay The Judge offers up very pretty orange blossom and jasmine notes with a core of lemon curd, pink grapefruit and guava plus buttered toast and praline. Full-bodied, wonderfully creamy, spicy and gregarious, it has so much verve and expression, finishing very long, layered and minerally.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2014
98 Points | Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chardonnay The Judge (275 cases) emerges from his best parcel, which was planted in 1976 and 1990 on St. George rootstock in rocky, malnourished soils that rarely give up more than one ton of fruit per acre. This is a fabulous Chardonnay, and certainly one of the Chardonnays of the vintage.
Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge Napa Valley 2011
96 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2011 Chardonnay The Judge has come together beautifully since I tasted it last year. Lemon, white flowers, crushed rocks and pears meld together in a totally seamless Chardonnay endowed with stunning depth and purity. There are no hard edges at all in this impeccable, nuanced Chardonnay. This is a great showing from Kongsgaard.
