The Fimasaurus is a small-production red from Kongsgaard, the Atlas Peak family winery known mainly for Chardonnay. It is an unusual wine: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon picked together and co-fermented, from a very good 2019 Napa vintage.
About This Wine
The 2019 Fimasaurus is an equal blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The two varieties are harvested at the same time and fermented together in new French oak barrels, rather than being made separately and blended later. The Cabernet comes partly from the Kongsgaard estate and partly from a neighbouring Atlas Peak vineyard about 500 feet lower that the family manages. 2019 gave a long, mild season, and the Merlot adds a rounder, plusher texture to the mountain Cabernet.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dark plum, black cherry, blackberry, cedar and warm spice.
- Palate: Full-bodied and supple, with ripe dark fruit, a velvety Merlot texture and firm mountain structure.
- Finish: Persistent, with black fruit, cocoa and oak spice.
Serving & Food
About an hour of air brings the Merlot's softness forward. Pour at 17 to 18°C into Bordeaux glasses; it is drinking now and will age into the 2030s. Mushroom and truffle dishes, Peking duck or a grilled veal chop are good matches.
How to Enjoy
Kongsgaard followers and curious drinkers who enjoy rare, off-the-beaten-track Napa bottlings.
Product Details
Producer: Kongsgaard
Expression: The Fimasaurus
Country: USA
Region: Napa Valley, California, USA
Vineyard: Atlas Peak
Vintage: 2019
Blend: Co-fermented Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (50/50)
Format: 750mL bottle
About the Winery
Kongsgaard began with the 1996 vintage, after John Kongsgaard had spent years making wine at Stony Hill, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Newton. John, whose family has been in Napa for five generations, and Maggy first planted The Judge vineyard in the 1970s, and it gave its name to their best-known Chardonnay.
Since 2004 the base has been a 150-acre site high on Atlas Peak, on the valley's eastern rim, where a cave winery was cut into the hillside. Only a small part of the land is under vine. Alex Kongsgaard now works alongside his father, and production stays at around 3,000 cases.