Kongsgaard Winery Chardonnay Napa Valley is a benchmark California white wine produced by the Kongsgaard family at their acclaimed family operation in Napa Valley. John and Maggy Kongsgaard are fifth-generation Napa natives who first planted their Judge vineyard to Chardonnay in the 1970s, with 1996 marking the inaugural commercial vintage. Today, son Alex Kongsgaard and Evan Frazier join as winemakers, keeping production intentionally limited to what the small team can craft with their own hands.

The Chardonnay is sourced from two celebrated Carneros vineyards — Hudson and Hyde — both of which have pioneered the Carneros appellation since the late 1960s. The wine is produced using organic and biodynamic farming practices with minimal intervention in the cellar, and is fermented for a full year to extract the deepest flavors and aromas. Alcohol content is 14.1% by volume.

On the nose, the wine is richly scented with yellow stone fruit, almond paste, tangerine, and creamy custard. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied and expansive, lifted by a clean line of acidity and a firm backbone of minerality — a style frequently compared to premier white Burgundies such as Montrachet, Corton Charlemagne, and Meursault.

John Kongsgaard was named Food & Wine Magazine's Winemaker of the Year in 2004 and recognized in The Robb Report's Best of the Best in 2005. Eric Asimov of The New York Times wrote, "Kongsgaard consistently makes the best Chardonnay in California today."