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About This Wine
The Judge 2023 comes from a cool, late-ripening Napa year, which gave Kongsgaard's hilltop Chardonnay a more restrained, mineral profile than usual.
Antonio Galloni found the 2023 less opulent than The Judge can be, with the cool season clearly on display: clean mineral notes cutting through candied citrus and floral tones, and signs of weight and potential emerging with air.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Candied lemon and orange peel with white flowers and a clear, stony mineral note.
- Palate: Tight and powerful, with citrus fruit, hidden weight and fresh acidity.
- Finish: Long and focused, saline and chalky.
Serving & Food
This needs time. Match with langoustines, sole in brown butter or chicken in vin jaune.
Good to Know
Should I decant it? If opening now, decant for an hour.
When is it ready? Around 2027, with a window to 2038.
Product Details
| Producer | Kongsgaard |
| Country | USA |
| Region | Napa Valley, California |
| Grape | Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| ABV | 14.1% |
| Size | 750mL |
You Might Also Like
- Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge 2022
- Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge 2017
- Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge 2019
About the Winery
Kongsgaard makes very little of The Judge: 8 to 15 barrels from the estate vineyard, grown on old Wente-clone vines first planted in 1975. Yields rarely go above a ton per acre.