A famed producer of Chardonnay in North America, Kongsgaard was founded by a fifth generation Napan, John Kongsgaard. Amazingly the Kongsgaard family have been in the Napa area since the 1840s. John’s grandfather owned a stone quarry in Napa and John’s father was a Napa County Superior Court judge for more than twenty years. Following graduating high school in the late 1960’s John Kongsgaard completed the UC Davis masters in enology and viticulture program. For a short time he worked at the Stony Hill winery in Napa and then worked for at Newton Vineyards as the winemaker from 1983 to 1996. John also studied under eminent wine consultant Michel Rolland. He has a Burgundian feel to all his wines and John has indicated that Michel Rolland had a profound influence in his style of winemaking. In 2004 John bought a 150 acre parcel of land on Atlas Peak where vines planted sit at as far up as 2500 feet. His property has a mere five acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Roussanne and Viognier.
I adored the new wine that he produced. The 2019 Kongsgaard ‘Napa Valley’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) is fresh and viscous with gobs of tension and beautiful length. Learn more about this magical winery at http://www.kongsgaardwine.com Here is my review of the scintillating 2019 Chardonnay release by Kongsgaard.
2019 Kongsgaard ‘Napa Valley’ Chardonnay- The 2019 Kongsgaard ‘Napa Valley’ Chardonnay is a glorious release that is just starting to hit its stride. Once on the nose this takes on layers of orchard fruits woven together with shades of roasted pineapple and vanilla creme brulee. Soft and ripe on the palate, this shows serious viscosity and tension. Suggestions of cardamom dusted French bread and mango combine with ripe nectarine and a very long, cream and mineral-driven finish, While a delight to consume now, this outstanding 2019 Chardonnay well for more than a decade to come. Drink 2021-2035- 95