Kongsgaard Chardonnay has been part of the family’s story since the winery’s first vintage in 1996, but the roots run considerably deeper. John and Maggy Kongsgaard are fifth-generation Napa natives, and Chardonnay has been central to the estate since they planted their family property in the hills east of Napa in the 1970s. Today, John works alongside winemakers Alex Kongsgaard and Evan Frazier, keeping production deliberately small enough that the three remain directly involved in making the wines themselves. The 2024 Napa Valley Chardonnay builds on Kongsgaard’s historic combination of Hudson and Hyde vineyards while expanding the blend with several newer sources, including Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville, originally planted by Warren Winiarski. Rather than forcing the wine through a rigid cellar program, Kongsgaard relies on indigenous yeast and an intentionally low-intervention approach. In 2024, fermentation moved slowly through the winter, allowing the wine’s mineral character to come forward while the fruit settled into the background. Kongsgaard describes the 2024 with poached pear, orange blossom and roasted almond, joined by the flinty character they prize in white Burgundy. The palate is full and layered, but its richness is drawn into focus by firm acidity and a persistent mineral finish. It is a Chardonnay built less around immediate fruitiness than texture, tension and the interaction of several of Napa Valley’s most distinctive Chardonnay sites.