One of Kongsgaard’s most intriguing offerings, and along with Sine Qua Non’s blend of Roussanne, Viognier, and Chardonnay, one of my two favorite dry white Rhone Rangers is the 2007 Roussanne/Viognier (60% and 40% respectively). Flamboyant notes of honeysuckle, lychee nuts, apricots, and caramelized peaches soar from the glass along with a cocktail of spring flowers. Sexy, full-bodied, hedonistic, and lavishly fruity, this is an exquisite white to drink over the next several years. . It is probably a “love it or leave it” wine, even for Rhone Ranger enthusiasts, but I love it.
(Not yet released)
The idiosyncratic, but brilliant producer of Chardonnay, Roussanne/Viognier, Syrah, and more recently, Cabernet Sauvignon, John Kongsgaard, and his low-tech, artisinal winemaking style have had an enormous influence on many top northern California winemakers. It’s always a treat to taste with him. All his wines are limited in quantity as the family’s vineyard in Coombsville is only 9 acres, so he draws fruit from special plots in the Hudson Vineyard for his Syrah, and more recently from some of David Abreu’s vineyards for his 350-case cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 Chardonnays were underperforming compared to my notes from last year. This trend is apparent in many producers’ Chardonnays in this vintage. The exuberant fruit that was noticeable out of barrel seems to have become more reserved. Nevertheless, these are still top-notch Chardonnays, just not as brilliant as I first thought. Normally, Kongsgaard’s Chardonnays are better from bottle than from barrel. Kongsgaard employs no additives, proteins, or enzymes, ferments his Syrah in pungeons with indigenous yeasts, and does not sulphur the wine until long after malolactic is completed. In the huge Hudson Vineyard, he has an unusual block of vines planted totally in volcanic soils and shale. This is the source for his Syrah, one of the most provocative and individualistic Syrahs made in California
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