2005 Kongsgaard - Chardonnay The Judge Chardonnay - USA - California - Napa - Napa Valley - White

($175) Good bright yellow. Brooding, mineral-driven aromas of peach, pungent stone, smoke and nuts. Extraordinarily dense and tactile in the mouth, with a distinctly saline character to the superconcentrated flavors of peach, lemon and liquid stone. Conveys a much sweeter impression today than the 2006 Judge but without any loss of vibrancy. Perhaps most impressive of all on the whiplash of a finish, which features palate-saturating peach and apricot fruit flavors and great tannic support. It's tempting to say that this monumental chardonnay is Burgundian, but it would be hard to find a Burgundy with the sheer size to stand up to this. Kongsgaard advises drinking it between 2010 and 2016.

The Chardonnay The Judge, a special cuvee of 15 barrels (the equivalent of 320-350 cases), is an homage to John Konsgaard's father, who was a judge. The 2005 Chardonnay The Judge flirts with perfection. Incredibly intense flowery notes along with a liqueur of honeysuckle and crushed rocks compete with some tropical fruit, quince, orange, and pineapple characteristics. This intensely full, fresh, lively, gorgeous white benefits from 22 months aging in barrel, and bottling off the lees unfiltered. John Kongsgaard's Chardonnays come from the family's 9-acre, high elevation, cool climate, Coombsville vineyard in southern Napa.