Dear Friends of Kongsgaard Wine,
We are pleased to offer the 2006 vintage, a milestone for us as it is the first fermented in our new cave. Like a temple for the grail, the serenity of this subterranean wine sanctuary is an inspiration to us lucky mortals who toil there. Deep in the volcanic rock, the cave is cold and the wines fermented slowly and have developed very gracefully. We are sure you will enjoy this excellent vintage.
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The Judge Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley has the startling expression of minerality and fruit for which this Chardonnay, grown on our family land, has gained its reputation. The remarkable length of the finish must have to do with the naturally miniscule yield of this rocky vineyard planted on land that was originally purchased by our family in the 1920s as a rock quarry site. It would amuse my grandfather that Robert Parker finds "terroir-based minerality" and "hints of crushed rock" in the wines from a vineyard that almost was a quarry. 11 tons was the yield from the 9 acres of Chardonnay at the Judge vineyard in 2006. This works out to produce less than one-half bottle of wine per vine. The exceptional 2006 Judge stands out for its intense energy, depth, and uncannily long finish. Robert Parker wrote that this wine "exhibits superb acidity," and notes the "concentration, precision, and minerality." He has ranked every vintage of the Judge in his "extraordinary" category. Fans of White Burgundy will love this extravaganza. $175/bottle, 550 cases produced.
Chardonnay 2006 Napa Valley is the usual blend of our shy-bearing blocks of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards in the Napa Carneros. The Hudson vines provide the extravagant richness and also the peach pit and almond aromatic intensity. The Hyde contributes to both the mineral depth of the wine and the super high tones in the aroma. Like The Judge, the Napa Chardonnay develops for 22 months in barrel before bottling (with the first 18 months on the fermentation lees). At 12 months ageing, when most Chardonnays are bottled, our wine is just getting over adolescence. In the second year the sophistication sets in. Parker found the 2006 Chardonnay "young, elegant with plenty of citrus and tangerine oil characteristics as well as hints of quince and crushed rocks." He predicts, "It should prove to be long-lived given its acid profile." This is our biggest vintage of Napa Chardonnay to date because we were able to add ten additional tons from the Hudson vineyard block adjoining ours. Alas, the 2007 vintage (a universally short chardonnay crop in Napa) is only half this volume due to unusual losses at flowering, and we are very sorry to report that we just lost about half of the Hudson 2008 Chardonnay crop to an unusually severe frost on April 14. In other words, the Napa Chardonnay will be offered in reduced volumes in the two vintages following this one. $75/bottle, 1900 cases produced.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Napa Valley is a blend of two vineyards: our 1000 vine block in the Judge vineyard in the hills east of Napa and the Abreu Madrona Ranch in St. Helena. Our vineyard is composed of four Cabernet clones from the great chateaus of the Medoc. Abreu grows for us two heirloom California selections, which proved themselves in the early days in Napa. The 2006 blend is everything we could hope for. The key to Cabernet for us is getting the tannin balanced properly -- strong enough for staying power, but silky and gracious for the near term. These qualities are governed first by the growing site, next by our farming techniques, and finally by our cellar practices. At every meticulous step we think first about the tannin. These choices guide the structural development of the wine. Look for graphite, cedar, and violets in the aroma, and enjoy the luscious and powerful flavors. We like to let our customers make up their minds about new wines in our portfolio before we show them to the wine critics. With two vintages of Cabernet in the market now, we'll now see what Tanzer and Parker have to say. Tanzer's review of the 05 and 06 will be published any day, and in the fall Parker will have his first look at the 05, 06, and 07. $150/bottle, 200 cases produced.
Syrah 2006 Napa Valley hails from a uniquely rocky 2.7-acre vineyard at the back of the Hudson ranch in Carneros where the rolling terrain of Carneros becomes the foothills of Mt. Veeder. This matters because here we have the cool, perfume-preserving climate of Carneros along with the special rocky soil of volcanic parent material, which occurs otherwise only at higher elevation. You can't taste the rocks in the wine if there aren't any in the vineyard. Wrapped around its mineral core Parker found in "the sensational 2006, chocolate, burning embers, aged beef, smoky game, blackberry, black cherry, and creme de cassis notes." This all adds up to what he calls "unquestionably the most singular expression of Syrah in Northern California." $150/bottle, 220 cases produced.
Grenache/Syrah 2006 Napa Valley is made only in the ideal ripening years like 2006. We celebrate such perfect weather by making two tons of our beloved Grenache/Syrah blend. The last one was in 2003. Grenache is hard to ripen until the vines are about 100 years old (think Priorat and Chateauneuf du Pape), but when Napa has a very long, dry "Indian Summer," Grenache on well-drained soil in Carneros can achieve stunning maturity. In 2006 we were able to co-ferment one ton of Grenache with an equal portion of the Hudson Syrah in 600-liter open-top oak fermenters to create our shot at the southern Rhone. You will recognize Grenache's astonishing raspberry and strawberry fragrance mingling with the brooding gaminess of the Syrah. The hedonistic finish of this wine rides on the silky tannin for which the Grenache in Spain and France is so justifiably famous. $150/bottle, 110 cases produced.
VioRous 2007 Napa Valley, half Viognier and half Roussanne, benefits from a vinification that is very different from the Chardonnay. The intense aroma is preserved by fermentation exclusively in older barrels and the wine is bottled after 10 months of barrel ageing. Parker has routinely called this flamboyant wine "the best white Rhone Ranger made north of San Francisco" and "one of California's most exotic whites." The production is limited to the yield of the four short rows we planted in the Judge vineyard after falling in love with these varieties on a tour of the Rhone Valley in 1992. $75/bottle, 90 cases produced.
Thank you,
John and Maggy Kongsgaard
This one is a pass for me...