Charlie Tapp

9.4

Black fruit, dark red fruit, graphite and ganache. Drinking perfectly. — 6 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2013 vintage. Medium-medium heavy body. Sage and anise on the nose. In that perfect spot between youth and maturity where the spring is partially unwound, yet still measurably coiled. Dropped the baby fat and aggressive fruit overtures but toned. Ain't no rush to crush. What I would do to roll through a vertical tasting of Araujo Eisele Vineyard Syrah might end up on the police blotter. There are more demonstrative Syrahs in California such as SQN, Saxum and Kongsgaard (and they are all top-notch phenomenal in their own way) but this deserves to be in the conversation amongst the best the region has to offer. 05.05.25. — a year ago

Ron R

9.5

Outstanding example of Cali Pinot. Even more so since this is 2012 vintage. Overripe cherries and coffee notes explode on the nose. The palate displays crunchy black fruits along with syrop de cassis. Superb grainy tannins combine with bright acidity. A reference point in Sonoma/Cali.

Here are my top 2023 tastings by type. Let me know what your favorites are…

2023 Wines of my Year
Sauvignon Blanc - Modus Operandi (2021) - $45
Chablis - Domaine Genot-Boulanger Puligny Montrachet (2020) - $85
Chardonnay - Kongsgaard (2020) - $120
Pinot - Aston Estate (2012) - $70
Cabernet - Sinegal (2019) - $75 &
Cabernet - Lewelling (2019) - $59 — 2 years ago

with Anne-marie

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Onto something we love after the Kongsgaard palate burn.

Never disappoints, consistent, rich, ripe deep red fruits with just the right amount of minerality & chalkiness.

Some acid to pair with vinaigrette salad.

375ml

Photos of, the House of Ruinart, painting of Founder Dom Thierry Ruinart, their caves & Grand Cru Vineyards. — 6 years ago

John Malcolm

9.2

Powerful! Deep purple color. Smokey and meaty. I like it, but might be overpowering for some. — 6 years ago

Nick H

9.4

Always delightful, and certainly drinking well in the current window. Poured a little cooler than the Kongsgaard, and also benefitted from approaching room temperature. While slightly edged out by the 13 Kong in my opinion tonight, still a beautiful benchmark Aubert wine. — 7 years ago

Benjamin Keator

9.2

It’s like the California raisins are marching up and down my tongue! If I tasted blind, honestly, I probably would have called it a tawny. Paired with chicken ras el hanout and it cut the explosion of flavor much better than the 2012 Kongsgaard chard we had opened for dinner. I guess the Kongsgaard will be the dessert. This zin definitely has complexity, but it’s probably not for everyone — 8 years ago

Charlie Tapp

9.3

Blackberries, baking spice, vanilla and black olives. Remarkably youthful — hold for another 5 years. — 5 months ago

Shay A

9.5

Jarvis is a winery I will always have fond memories of due to visiting it many times so early in my wine journey. While I enjoyed the reds (especially the cab franc and merlot), their Finch Hollow Chardonnay (both the filtered and unfiltered) were standouts. My last bottle!

A youthful bright yellow in the glass. Rich and integrated aromatics of salted popcorn, lemon cream and honey roasted cashews. Tidal wave of flavor on the palate that borders on hedonistic but pulls back just before. Oak is in-play with some baking spices and honey helping round the profile. Acidity has faded a bit but these have always had good phenolic grip, an almond skin-like finish. This reminds me of a blend of Aubert’s SugarShack (Napa warmth) with Kongsgaard (texture and grip). Not getting any better, this is a window that I have to imagine the winery was working towards. Delicious. — a year ago

Grant Simpson

9.4

First ever rose from kongsaard delicious full throttle expression. No red wines produced in 2020 — 5 years ago

Rob Mayes

9.5

Unbelievable. More white than rosé. Notes of Kongsgaard. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.3

WNH Morgado Virtual Wine Tasting with winemaker Kimberley Hatcher and mentor Russell Bevan.

Coming from Steiner Vineyard in Bennett Valley (not familiar with the vineyard at all), this 2016 is, for me, in the same vein as a Kongsgaard or Hudson Chardonnay. When poured in the glass, it was golden and appeared oxidized. I anticipated it to be heavy and overly rich, but it wasn’t. Aromatically it showed honey roasted nuts, touch of orange marmalade, and herb crusted yellow fruits. On the palate, there is really nice acidity followed by more herbal yellow fruits, lemon cream pie crust and a finish showing a mix of cotton candy and lanolin. This goes through a similar “death and resurrection” type winemaking process (if I’m not mistaken), a process that John Kongsgaard made famous. It has a very Hudson/Carneros feel to it. Very enjoyable now. — 6 years ago

with Carl, Eric and 6 others

Shay A

9.5

Arietta Wines lunch with owner Fritz. We were able to taste through some current releases as well as some reserve wines Fritz brought with him personally. A treat to enjoy these Andy Erickson wines!

Definitely the most fun wine on the table. Merlot and Syrah blend. I believe this is around the time John Kongsgaard was leaving and Andy Erickson was arriving. Quite wild, and both sweet and savory. Black cherry tart, peppercorn crusted rhubarb, red licorice, and a sweet smoke to the nose. Tangy red fruits, espresso and cocoa bits on the palate with a finish that shows tea leaf and fig. Delicious! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.6

4th Friday of the month means another monthly Classic happy hour! Great wines, great people.

This was my contribution last night. One of the more profound Cali chards I’ve come across. Powerhouse! The richness and front palate power is very similar to Kongsgaard. Viscous. The notes are honeyed, but not lean...not even compared to the Aubert that was on the table with it. Not overly buttery, more just high quality chard that commands your attention. Mexican vanilla, toasted almonds, and honeyed brioche. The finish goes on forever...lots of cashew, melon, and coconut shell. No stone/tropical fruits here. An absolutely KILLER bottle, @Martin G Rivard , thank you for the intro here! — 8 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Ron R

9.5

This evolved to a better place during the course of the evening. Mature, so get after this tout de suite! Look, at the price, I consider this to be a penis extension, which I would like 😉 — 9 months ago

with Anne-marie

Tom Garland

9.3

Hudson ranch & vineyard wine tasting

2013 estate syrah
2014 old master (60%cab franc & merlot)
2016 Phoenix (60% merlot, and cab franc)
2011 estate chardonnay
2016 little bit chardonnay
2021 estate cabernet (1st release)
2021 estate grenache

Fun tasting and tour around this classic 2,000 acre Carneros property(200 acres in vines). Grapes sold to more than 25 different wineries like Aubert, Kongsgaard, Kistler, Ramey,etc. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

Shay A

9.3

My first experience with this producer, and wow! White burgundy is very hit or miss for me, but this was a total hit.

In the glass, someone could have told me they poured me Kongsgaard and I’d of believed them. Deep golden color. Even aromatically and initially on the palate it was as though someone blended Kongsgaard (very Hudson like), with mersault. There is a bitter honey/truffle honey note up front alongside overripe peach, honey roasted cashews, and orange marmalade. On the palate, it’s certainly rich but not so much from oak...honeycomb, honey covered cotton candy, caramel dipped golden delicious apples, almond shavings and a kiss of lanolin on the finish. This only improved in the bottle after 2-3hrs of being open. Drinking wonderfully right now. I need to hunt down some bottles! Thanks for the heads up here, @David T . — 6 years ago

David L

9.6

16’Arista UV-EL Diablo Chardonnay. What makes these wines so absolutely fantastic since 2013...to me it is obvious, Matt has turned this winery around. If you like a hammer style Chardonnay such as Kongsgaard/Morlet/Peter Michael. This is not necessarily your wine.
Chardonnay that’s not heavily coded by let’s say vanilla Bean “You guess it”Elegance/finesse/balanced & CLASSY. Unlike his Ferren Wines (Love them)this has slightly less punch. Highly recommend. — 7 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.3

Energetic and a bit tropical with terrific acidity. Saltwater taffy, white flowers, citrus zest. — 7 years ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.2

Close second to the kongsgaard - quarter bottle left for me and the wife - 😬 thanks @Norman Gennaro ! — 8 years ago

with Amit, Joe and 1 other