2012 The Fimasaurus

It's very much a family affair at Kongsgaard, where John Kongsgaard, his wife Maggie and their son Alex jointly run the winery from their hamlet atop Atlas Peak. The cellar is bare bones and stripped down to the core, with only the bare essentials. But these wines don't seem to need much. The fruit sources are top notch and the Kongsgaards are brilliant stewards who practice the art of minimal intervention. The results speak for themselves. This range of current and upcoming releases is full of highlights. The 2012s will provide plenty of immediate gratification, while the 2013s are going to require a bit more patience.

My annual tasting with John Kongsgaard is always a treat, and his 2011 releases, not surprisingly, are among the best of this tricky vintage. Kongsgaard harvested all of his white grapes in September, prior to the rains, with the exception of his Hyde chardonnay, which he declassified. He described the 2011s as particularly precise wines, while the 2012s are deeper. Owing to the copious flowering in 2012, he thinned the chardonnay and syrah clusters in July and early August, just before veraison, except in his Judge vineyard, where crop levels are always low. Kongsgaard expressed the opinion that the 2012s will be better sooner and last longer than the 2011s.

John Kongsgaard and his son Alex showed me a remarkable set of wines during my visit to the family's Judge Vineyard in southern Napa Valley, including a vertical of the Judge Chardonnay back to 2005, a wine that remains stunning to this day. Readers who can get their hands on the new Albarino should not hesitate; it is fabulous. Kongsgaard fans will also want to be on the lookout for The Fimasaurus, a new Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend dedicated to pianist Yefim Bromfman. John Kongsgaard's wines have always reflected a broad sense of culture and multiple interests, including a huge passion for classical music, so it isn't a surprise that the newest addition to the range pays homage to one of the world's greatest musicians. Readers might want to take a look at this short video I shot with John and Alex Kongsgaard in the middle of the Judge vineyard after the 2013 harvest.