Winemaker Chris Millard had an opportunity to visit with our Napa Valley class to describe the wines that he is crafting at Newton. On top of the mountain overlooking St. Helena, he has an extraordinary amount of fruit to select from, giving him the luxury of selling off the lots that don’t make the grade.
Newton has long differentiated itself for unfiltered wines and Chris carries on that tradition. He describes their process as a “systematic racking program,” even for the white wines. Many of you are already familiar with their Unfiltered Chardonnay and Merlot, but there are other gems in the portfolio as well, all recapped below.
Newton, 68% Sonoma County, 32% Napa County, Red Label, Chardonnay 2008 Green apples and stone fruits fill the glass, with a steely minerality for complexity. In the mouth you’ll green and yellow apples, clean and bright with lively acidity. 14.5% $25 at the winery.
Newton, Napa Valley, Unfiltered, Chardonnay 2007 In the nose you’ll find rich and toasty notes, with brioche and tropical fruit. The mouth is silky and lusch, with lots of depth. The fruit is sourced only from the estate for this wine, which spends 20 months in French oak. 2 rackings over this long period of time create a clean wine that is clear yet bottled unfiltered. 14.5% $60 at the winery.
Newton, Napa Valley, Unfiltered, Merlot 2005 The nose features cigar box with sweet tobacco while the mouth is a supple presentation of plums and complementary oak. This is elegant Merlot with refinement. There is 17% Cabernet Franc in the final blend and the wine spent 20 months aging in French oak. 15.5% $60 at the winery
Newton, Napa Valley, Unfiltered, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 There are lashings of new oak in the nose while in the mouth you get the structure of Cab with the polished edges of ripe tannins – super long and quite youthful. The fruit keeps popping out more and more with time in the glass. This is great! Besides the Cabernet Sauvignon there is 17% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot. 14.5% $60 at the winery.
Newton, Napa Valley, The Puzzle 2005 The nose is rich and expressive of chocolate. There’s a lot of density to this wine, with cassis and tart berries. Again the edges are polished, the ripe tannins adding supportive structure. The acidity carries this wine a long way down the dinner table – very nice. The grapes in this Bordeaux style blend are 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The wine spent 20 months aging in French oak. 15.5% $80 at the winery.
The wines are produced and bottled in St. Helena, or rather above St. Helena on Spring Mountain. Newton Vineyard