2015 Kongsgaard "The Judge" Napa Valley Chardonnay

“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. (LPB)” (10/2017)

“The 2015 Chardonnay The Judge has turned out beautifully. Like the Napa Valley Chardonnay, The Judge is a hushed, quiet wine. Whether it ever develops into a more typically exuberant, flamboyant wine in the more classic Kongsgaard mold remains to be seen. Today, the 2015 speaks to finesse, nuance and understatement. There is lovely depth and texture of fruit. As always, the Judge is marked by a distinct oiliness, but the 2015 is less overtly flamboyant than other past vintages have been. (AG)” (03/2018)

“Rich and distinctive, with expressive flavors that dance on the palate, offering glimpses of pear, melon, fig, apricot and smoky, toasty oak notes, yet for all the wood elements, this white wears it well. (JL)” (07/2018)