Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Coombsville District, Napa Valley (estate)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
- Oak Aging: 50% new French oak, 100% barrel-fermented
- Alcohol: 14.4%, pH 3.4, TA 6.0 g/L, Malic 1.41 g/L, Lactic 0.28 g/L
- Cases Available: ~150
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: Just south of $100/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Kongsgaard Wine — Coombsville Estate Chardonnay (same producer as Lot 68)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Caldwell
- Drink Window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 38 is a fabulous 2024 Coombsville District estate grown and produced Chardonnay directly out of the winery’s blend for their upcoming bottling run. This legendary estate is nothing short of spectacular and this bottling commands equally spectacular prices just south of triple digits. Here the hillside volcanics and cool Coombsville climate result in a complex, ripe, powerful-yet-elegant Chardonnay with equal parts California sunshine in a glass and Burgundian styling. 100% barrel-fermented, succulent, juicy, and delicious yet exquisitely balanced with a chalky, minerally backbone and pitch-perfect 50% new French oak integration to sublime effect.
Tasting Notes
Pale, medium gold in the glass. The nose is effusive and complex with perfectly ripe peach and apricot notes layered with fresh bread aromas, jasmine perfume and baking spice with just a kiss of marzipan, pineapple and butterscotch as it opens. Succulent and seamless with fantastic viscosity and vibrant, chalky acidity dripping with peach-laden mineral notes, lemon oil, honeycomb, beeswax and near endless length and palate-coating persistence. A sublime wine with tremendous finesse.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Bottling December 10th. Allow until spring 2026 minimum.
Claude’s Source Guess: Kongsgaard Wine — Coombsville Estate Chardonnay (confirmed via Lot 68)
This identification is confirmed rather than guessed. Cam explicitly linked Lot 68 (Kongsgaard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon) to the same producer as Lot 38, and Kongsgaard fits every clue precisely. John Kongsgaard has farmed his Coombsville estate on hillside volcanic soils since the 1980s, making him one of the appellation’s founding figures. His estate Chardonnay — produced from the same volcanic hillside blocks — is one of Napa’s most celebrated whites, retailing just under $100 and consistently earning 95+ point scores. The 50% new French oak, 100% barrel fermentation, and the wine chemistry (3.4 pH, 6.0 g/L TA) all align with Kongsgaard’s documented winemaking approach, which emphasizes high natural acidity and mineral precision over richness.
The “just south of triple digits” pricing ($85-95) fits Kongsgaard’s Chardonnay program precisely, and the 150-case lot is consistent with surplus from their small estate production. Cam receiving the wine “directly out of the winery’s blend for their upcoming bottling run” is consistent with how Kongsgaard manages their small-lot programs — tight, allocation-only, with occasional surplus available to trusted négociant partners.
✅ Confidence: Confirmed — producer identity established via Cam’s explicit Lot 68 cross-reference.
Drink Window
Early: Spring 2026 — bottling December 10th, needs minimum 3-6 months integration.
Peak: 2028–2035. Kongsgaard Chardonnay consistently peaks 4–10 years from vintage on volcanic Coombsville soils.
Hold: 2038. The 3.4 pH and 6.0 g/L TA give this exceptional aging architecture.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: Spring 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2035)