Chardonnay 2023 Kongsgaard

Tasting Note Chardonnay 2023

Toasty, nutty notes derive from oak barrel fermentation. The Kongsgaard Chardonnay 2023 has a substantial body, but a line of acidity running through the midpalate brings a lively energy to its rich flavor profile. The texture is creamy. This balance of extract and acidity suggests that the wine has room to develop further.

Grape Varieties

This wine is a 100% Chardonnay. 

On the Napa Valley volcanic soil, chardonnay takes on concentrated flavors rather than tropical fruit aromas, which explains why it offers body without losing its citrus notes.

Cellaring Potential

This wine is best enjoyed through 2040. Serve at 10-13°C, as lower temperatures can hide the texture developed in the oak barrels.

Over time, the fruit aromas recede, and notes of nuts and honey come to the surface.

About Kongsgaard

Chardonnay made Kongsgaard's name, and John Kongsgaard had already made California's first unfiltered Chardonnay at Newton Vineyards before launching his own label with the 1996 vintage. Annual production is approximately 4,000 cases a year, which is significantly less than the Napa average of 30,000 cases. Every step of the process is done by hand. In 2004, Food & Wine named him Winemaker of the Year. Few Napa whites are made this stubbornly.

Terroir & Climate

The Chardonnay comes mainly from Carneros, the cooler southern part of Napa, from vineyards tended by Lee Hudson and Larry Hyde, two winegrowers with whom Kongsgaard has been working since his student days. The soils there are gravelly and well-drained, which restrains the growth of the vines. The key factor in shaping the wine’s flavour is its location: Carneros overlooks San Pablo Bay, so fog and cool air drift in from the water, and the grapes ripen slowly, retaining their acidity. Since 2020, the blend has also included grapes from a vineyard in Cumbsville, originally planted by Warren Viniarski.

Winemaking

Thw winemaking is deliberately old-fashioned and slow. The juice flows directly into the cask, where it ferments using its own wild yeasts without any additives to kick-start the process. Grapes from Carneros generally contain little nitrogen, which can slow down fermentation; therefore, a natural yeast nutrient is added, but neither commercial yeast nor DAP is used. Some fermentation processes can take months; sometimes malolactic fermentation finishes before primary fermentation.

After that, the wine is aged in barrels for around two years, with about 70 per cent of these being new, gradually absorbing small amounts of oxygen, which gives it its nutty, slightly aldehydic character. The proportion of new oak barrels has decreased since John’s son, Alex, began to play a more active role in the winery’s operations. The barrels are made by Darnajou in Bordeaux; Kongsgaard was the first in Napa to start using them – Michel Rolland introduced him to the cooper.

Sulphur levels are kept to a minimum, and the wine is bottled unfiltered, just as John’s wines were back in Newton.

Food Pairing

The wine is rich so food must have enoughrichness. If the fish has a moderate amount of fat, grilled halibut also pairs well with it.

• Dungeness crab with drawn butter
• Roast chicken, skin crisped, pan juices spooned over
• Lobster risotto, creamy rice meeting the wine's own texture
• Aged hard cheese, where the acidity does the cutting