2013 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge

Of course, it’s hard to find any, but there are usually about eight to 15 barrels of his estate Chardonnay from Coombsville called “The Judge” in honor of his father. From old Wente clones originally planted in 1975, yields are rarely in excess of one ton of fruit per acre, which no doubt accounts for its extraordinary intensity and richness. The 2013 Chardonnay The Judge is perfect, and certainly one of the greatest Chardonnays I have ever tasted. Keeping in mind that Kongsgaard is no youngster at this game (2015 was his 41st vintage making wine), his 2013 The Judge, from the white volcanic soil in Coombsville called tufa, is an amazing wine of great intensity, power, glory, elegance, texture, density and richness. The wine offers up loads of tangerine oil, caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, white peach, apricots, and wet stones. It seems to be a smorgasbord of aromas and flavors that just keep opening as the wine sits in the mouth. This is an amazing effort and one of the greatest Chardonnays ever made in California.

Powerful and broad on the palate, the 2013 Chardonnay The Judge is another wine that is only showing the barest hints of its potential. Lemon oil, pastry, white pepper, flowers and chamomile open up in the glass, but only with great reluctance. The Judge is usually a bit more overt but like the 2014, the 2013 appears to be a wine that will be slow to offer up the full breadth of its potential.

The 2013 Chardonnay The Judge has all of the intensity of the 2012, but it plays in a higher register, where the flavors are a bit brighter and palate density is more implied rather than overtly stated. Lifted and precise, the 2013 dazzles with its nuance and pure class. Scents of lemon peel, crème brulee, orange, crushed rocks and white flowers punctuate the dazzling finish. The 2013 is shaping up to be a gem. The only problem will be finding it.