Large Format Wines

Item Description

Kongsgaard – The Holy Grail of Chardonnay

--One 1.5 L 2016 Kongsgaard ‘The Judge’ Chardonnay

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. Like, the UpValley Family Centers.

And for the lucky winner this year, this vintage was rated 100 points by Robert Parker in the Wine Advocate:

"Bottled in June 2018, the 2016 The Judge opens...with slowly unfurling notions of lime leaves, yuzu and freshly squeezed lemons with notes of honeyed white peaches and crème brûlée followed by crushed rocks, lemongrass and praline plus a waft of peach blossoms. Full-bodied with fantastic richness and so many layers, the classic The Judge savoriness comes through in spades in the mid-palate with a seductively silken texture and epically long, mineral and spice-tinged finish."

Item Special Note

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 on 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 purchase price of each lot which contains tangible goods.

Shipping or Pick up of Wines: Shipping costs are the sole responsibility of the winner.

Non-Napa County winners must arrange for their wines to be shipped from The Packaging Company, beginning Friday, March 1, 2019. If you're the lucky winner, we'll call or email you with directions for making this happen.

Napa County winners of auction lots containing wine may pick up their wines at the St. Helena office of the UpValley Family Centers beginning Friday, March 1, 2019. If you are the lucky winner, we'll call or email you with directions and details.