Kongsgaard is the family winery of John and Maggy Kongsgaard, who released their first vintage in 1996 and built one of California's most sought-after names. The winery is best known for The Judge, a Chardonnay from the family's vineyard that is regularly described as one of the most sought-after Chardonnays in the world. The family's Atlas Peak estate covers about 150 acres across the road from The Judge Vineyard, and it is the source of a rich, dense Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon alongside the whites. John and Maggy's son Alex now shares the winemaking with his father and farms The Judge Vineyard; Maggy Kongsgaard died in 2020. The wines are made in small quantities with a hands-off, patient approach, and most bottles go to a mailing list. For HeyVino readers, Kongsgaard is worth knowing as a Napa producer whose Chardonnay reputation sometimes overshadows its mountain-grown Cabernet.