winemaker's notes:
A delicious blend of Cabernet and Merlot from one of our favorite California wineries, this wine has always been an amazing value. It has juicy layers of raspberries, cherries and chocolate strawberries. It is a sexy wine that invites one to taste it again and again. Listed in Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2002
Newton Claret is mainly from the young vines on the estate. Because of their youth, they produce grapes with soft tannins, hence they are mixed with pressed wines of older vines to have structure. They are aged in French oak barrels in the cool caves for two years.
1999 was a difficult year in the beginning, but ended up textbook perfect—cool and windy in the spring up in the mountain, but warmer on the valley floor. Towards the end of summer, it was really rather lovely everywhere and the grapes, particularly from the young vines, ripened early and quickly. Thus, the tannin is soft and the wine is inviting.
