2007 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge

The 2007 Chardonnay The Judge is another wine of pure texture. Dried pear, intense minerality, smoke, honey and almonds are some of the many notes that are layered together in the 2007. The style is rich, voluptuous and layered to the core. I don't see too much upside from holding bottles more than another year or two.

Bright, green-tinged yellow. Wonderfully complex but youthfully restrained nose hints at stone and citrus fruits, butterscotch, smoke and minerals. With its powerful stony minerality and tactile impression of extract this conveys a drier impression than the 2008 chardonnay that preceded it. Densely packed, energetic and tightly coiled chardonnay with a tannic element that reminded me of a red wine. Very closed wine, just short of bitter on the finish today and in need of at least a couple years of patience. But this should age for a long time. The crop level here was about 1.5 tons per acre following thinning, which is normal for this terraced vineyard in Napa

A special selection of the top barrels (125-150 cases produced), the 2007 Chardonnay The Judge is more backward than the regular Chardonnay, revealing a liqueur of rocks-like character intermixed with hints of almond paste, tropical fruits, quince, and mango. Its incredible length, richness, and depth suggest this wine will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age, and should keep for over a decade. From a top vintage for proprietor/winemaker John Kongsgaard, the 2007 Chardonnays are among the finest he has made to date. They combine great richness and bold flavor profiles with extraordinary minerality and definition. One-hundred percent whole clusters are used for the Syrahs, and Kongsgaard’s Syrahs have a very distinctive style. Fax: (707) 963-4512