Kongsgaard

Kongsgaard Winery was founded in 1996 by John and Maggy Kongsgaard, fifth-generation Napa Valley natives, on their family land in the hills east of Napa. John’s journey into winemaking began in the 1970s after studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis and working at iconic wineries like Stag’s Leap and Newton Vineyards. Influenced by European winemaking traditions and mentors like André Tchelistcheff and Michel Rolland, John pioneered unfiltered Chardonnay in California. The winery’s flagship vineyard, “The Judge,” was planted in honor of his father, a prominent Napa judge. Today, Kongsgaard produces small batches of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and other varietals using low-intervention techniques in a cave on Atlas Peak, with production limited to what the family can craft by hand.