Chardonnay The Judge, Kongsgaard Winery 2011

The 2011 Chardonnay The Judge is more evolved, complex and seductive, with plenty of honeysuckle, roasted nuts, and marmalade notes intermixed with citrus oil and orange blossom. Although it doesn't have the size and foundation of the 2012, this beauty is still a knock-out Chardonnay.

These all look like impressive wines, but they are so limited in availability, I've kept my tasting notes short. The brilliant John Kongsgaard - part winemaker, part opera devotee, and part mystic - has a few new items up his sleeve for release. Of course, he is still offering his Chardonnays and Syrahs, which are among the very best made in California. Over recent years Kongsgaard has branched out to produce Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak. He has two cuvees now that come from these volcanic soils, cropped at very tiny yields of one ton of fruit per acre. The wines come from relatively old vines for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 years of age as of 2012. Kongsgaard's newest baby, which he started making in 2009, is only two to four barrels of co-fermented Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in a 50/50 blend from the Atlas Peak site.