2018 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard Napa Valley 750 ml

Very few Napa Valley wines are mentioned alongside Bordeaux First Growths and the great collectible wines of the world—and they’re basically all cult Cabernets. 

Kongsgaard’s Syrah stands proudly alongside them, but also proudly apart. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind bottling from a master whose name evokes reverence and admiration from his peers. As a display of Napa Valley glory worth cellaring for years or passing on as an heirloom, you can’t do any better. 

The 97-99+ point 2018 is formidable from the moment it’s poured, showing exactly why this Syrah often sells out to a fervent mailing list and is then pursued by insatiable collectors. Those who claim it today will get a fully engrossing wine that brings one word to mind: power. 

Inky purple-black in color, it’s got expansive aromas of ripe blackberries, black cherries, cracked pepper, toast, allspice, bacon fat, wild herbs, and smoked meat. The palate is muscular, rich, and energetic, defined by elegant, plush tannins that lend a feeling of opulence and class to the wine. It’s beautifully balanced and densely concentrated, with bold and seamlessly interwoven flavors of jammy black fruits, smoke, pepper, exotic spices, and roasted meat. The finish is incredibly long and pleasantly spicy, inspiring reflections—not only on the greatness in the glass, but the delights that will come with a couple of decades in the cellar. 

A fifth-generation Napa native, John was mentored by true titans of Napa Valley and it shows in his wines: André Tchelistcheff of Beaulieu Vineyard and Nathan Fay—who farmed the Fay Vineyard made famous by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ iconic single-vineyard Cabernet—tutored him during his early years. After his first job in Sonoma, John took a job at Newton, experimenting with Old World techniques and bottling Napa Valley’s first unfiltered Chardonnay. In the subsequent years, his professional path crossed with more wine-world luminaries than we can name: He collaborated with Fritz Hatton, gleaned wisdom first-hand from Michel Rolland, and trained Aaron Pott and Andy Erickson.

In 1995, John and his wife Maggy made the first vintage of Kongsgaard. His Hudson Syrah has been coveted and magical since its first release. The two-acre plot of Syrah at the Hudson Ranch in Carneros—which was founded in 1981 by John’s Texas-born Davis classmate Lee Hudson—consists solely of volcanic soil, and was planted to John’s specifications. He ferments the Syrah on native yeasts, ages it for two years in 40% new French oak, and bottles it unfiltered. What results is the product of passion, patience, and restraint: a wine of stirring depth, incredible power, and endless nuance. 

Because of his singular focus on excellence and multi-decade track record, Kongsgaard is not just a winemaker but a universally admired tastemaker and inspiration to several generations of vintners. It’s not hyperbole—Kongsgaard is king, and each bottle that bears his name showcases vinous excellence… whether you open it today or in 20 years. 

Just 375 cases of this 2018 exist on Earth. We suggest claiming a bottle or two today for yourself today.