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CHARDONNAY The Judge = 98 points
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 2006 Chardonnay The Judge exhibits superb acidity, and the same character as the regular cuvee, but with even more concentration, precision, and minerality. 98 points
THE JUDGE CHARDONNAY NAPA VALLEY is grown on a rocky hillside just east of the town of Napa, which was acquired by John's grandparents in the 1920's as a potential quarry site. The extremely rocky ground produces a miniscule crop of around one ton per acre, yielding less than one-half bottle of wine per vine. Robert Parker called this super-concentrated wine "the essence of Chardonnay, one of the most profound Chardonnays made in California." The Judge is fermented in all new, Burgundian oak barrels with the indigenous yeast and bacteria requiring six to twelve months to finish the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. Resting on the primary lees for fifteen months before the first racking, the wine is clarified by gravity. This allows bottling without filtration or fining after nearly two years of barrel age. The wine is named after John's late father who was the judge in Napa County from 1959 to 1985.
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