Chardonnay 2018, Kongsgaard

John Kongsgaard’s reputation was established in the 1980s, at Newton Vineyards, where his Unfiltered Chardonnay became a much-copied classic style. John and wife Maggy dug a cave-like cellar on Atlas Peak mountain on the eastern rim of the Napa Valley, also planting The Judge vineyard here. The Napa Valley Chardonnay is made from fruit grown at the vineyards of Larry Hyde and Lee Hudson – two of California’s most reputable grape growers. In the words of Robert Parker, this is ‘the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa.’ Kongsgaard is consistently hailed as one of the best – if not the absolute best – California Chardonnay producer, and the wines have frequently received ratings of between 97/100 and 100/100.