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98-100 RP. "The 2015 Chardonnay The Judge may well be one of the all-time greatest Chardonnays ever made in California. It took 12 months to ferment dry and it is incredibly concentrated, like the quintessential Chardonnay – with lemon custard pie notes intermixed with orange marmalade, white peach, honeysuckle and a liqueur of rocks, all in a full-bodied, super-dense style that remains relatively light on its feet. This Chardonnay could be mythical! Another wine I love from Kongsgaard, but he doesn’t make much of it (under 100 cases), is the blend of 60% Viognier and 40% Roussanne called VioRous, all coming from The Judge Vineyard. Part mystic, part great winemaker and long-time veteran of the Napa Valley wine scene, John Kongsgaard continues to turn out a bevy of exciting and compelling wines from his family’s vineyards high in the cool, rocky soils of Coombsville in the southeastern sector of Napa Valley." Wine Advocate #228, Dec 2016 |