Kongsgaard Estate White 2023

“Estate White is the first vintage of a co-fermented blend of Viognier, Sauvignon blanc, and Chardonnay organically grown in our volcanic vineyards surrounding the winery on the eastern rim of Napa Valley. The wine was fermented and aged for 10 months in clay amphora and very old barrels, allowing this exotic blend to shine with all its luscious, hedonistic glory. The best qualities of the three varieties, unified by their common mountain terroir, are joined with breathtaking harmony. Look for orange zest, stone fruit and marzipan aromas floating over the luxurious corresponding flavors. Those who know the Kongsgaard history will recall the VioRous, conceived in a similar spirit.” -Kongsgaard Website

Fifth-generation Napa natives, Maggy and John Kongsgaard began their endeavor in the 1970s planting The Judge vineyard on their family land near Napa. The inaugural Kongsgaard wines came in 1996. Now, Kongsgaard produces The Judge, Chardonnay, VioRous, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in their underground winery—a cave dug into the volcanic rock, high on the eastern rim of the Napa Valley where they have planted a spectacular mountain vineyard. Kongsgaard also directs the farming under long-term contracts on several perfect acres in the Napa Carneros and near the winery. These intensely farmed, shy-bearing vineyards and Kongsgaard’s traditional low-intervention winemaking produce powerful, graceful wines—vivid expressions of vineyard and variety. Production is limited to what Maggy and John, with their son Alex, can make with their own hands.