Wine

Item Description

Kongsgaard – The Essence of Napa Valley, California

--One 1.5 L 2010 Kongsgaard ‘The Judge’ Chardonnay

--One 1.5 L 2010 Kongsgaard Cabernet Sauvignon 

Fifth-generation Napa natives John and Maggy Kongsgaard produce a number of fine wines from their ten-acre family property, and from properties under long-term contract in the Carneros region and near St. Helena. 

But possibly the most famous and sought-after wine they produce is ‘The Judge’ Chardonnay, named after John’s late father who was the judge in Napa County from 1959 to 1985. 

The grapes for this dreamy wine are grown on a rocky hillside just east of the town of Napa, which was acquired by John’s grandparents in the 1920s as a potential quarry site. The extremely rocky ground produces a miniscule crop of around one ton of grapes per acre, yielding less than one-half bottle of wine per vine. Robert Parker called this super-concentrated wine …“the essence of Chardonnay – one of the most profound Chardonnays made in California.”

‘The Judge’ is fermented in all new, Burgundian oak barrels with the indigenous yeast and rests on the primary lees for fifteen months before the first racking. The wine is clarified by gravity, allowing bottling without filtration or fining after nearly two years of barrel age.

Special, indeed, ‘The Judge’ Chardonnay is never sold in magnum format; it is only released to family and donated to very, very, very lucky charities.  And here, you have the chance to get one magnum of this precious nectar, from the 2010 vintage, and a magnum of the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the rich velvet texture and vibrant intensity typical of the mountain vineyards of this vintage. This crop was just under one ton per acre, and this Cabernet/Merlot blend is defined by the concentration that the low yield assures. Wine reviewer Antonio Galloni found the wine to have "incredible finesse, energy and sheer class.”

In the words of Robert Parker in the Wine Advocate, "John Kongsgaard is in search of the Holy Grail and these are among the most interesting, naturally made wines one will find on Planet Earth."

Value: $650

Donated by:  Maggy and John Kongsgaard

Item Special Note

Special
Instructions:

Through the remarkable generosity of 55 Degrees, St. Helena, your wine purchases will be stored securely in optimal conditions for up to 30 days until shipping or pick up arrangements have been made. All shipping charges are the sole responsibility of the winning bidder.  A very special Thank You to owners, Karen and Neil Aldoroty, 55 Degrees, St. Helena, CA.

Collection of California Sales Tax:

Unless a valid resale permit is presented to seller prior to the sale, purchaser will be required to pay all state and local retail sales taxes applicable in the date of sale. Resale permits will be accepted only for businesses that are reasonably expected to buy and sell wine. Sales tax will be collected on the fair market value of each lot.