Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2005
-
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2005 Unfiltered Chardonnay is a light shade of gold. This rich and powerful wine opens with orange blossom, honey, pear, creme brulee, coconut and nutmeg spice aromas. Flavors lead with white peach and pineapple, with a touch of honey and coconut rounding out this full bodied wine. The light citrus finish lingers on the palate.
This rich and complex Chardonnay can complement a wide variety of dishes. Try it with pear and arugula salad, smoked scallops or braised pork with apples.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of California’s most glorious Chardonnays, and still somewhat under the radar, is the Newton 2005 Chardonnay Unfiltered. This is another wine that has the capacity in certain vintages to evolve for 8-10 years. A bottle of the 1991 I had recently was stunning (I rated it 92), and of course it was 16 years of age. There are 10,700 cases of this wine, which is put through full malolactic and bottle unfiltered with minimal manipulation. The 2005 is fabulous, and one of the best examples of this cuvee made at Newton. Notes of honeysuckle, poached pear, brioche, and white currants are present in this wine, which also exhibits some citrus oil and a subtle influence of new oak. Full-bodied, fleshy, and rich, with super purity and stature, this is a gorgeous Chardonnay.
One of the most spectacularly beautiful vineyards, high on the lower slopes of Spring Mountain, is Newton Vineyards. Organically farmed and impeccably manicured, this was one of the first outposts to which famed Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland came, and an entire generation of winemakers formed by his brilliance have emerged from Newton. The overall style of the wine is one built on European elegance and longevity. The vintages from the early 1990s are still doing well, especially the 1990 and 1991.
Other Vintages
2021-
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Guide
Connoisseurs' -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
Newton was founded in 1977 by English businessman Peter Newton and his Chinese wife Su Hua. Peter Newton was already renowned as a pioneer of winemaking in the Napa Valley, having founded the Sterling Winery near Calistoga in the 1960s. The Newtons transformed one square mile of rolling hillside in Spring Mountain into one of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious estates, whose wines have graced the official dinners of several US presidents.
The Newton estate encompasses 170 acres of prime Napa Valley terroir, distributed over four separate, wholly owned vineyards: Spring Mountain, Yountville, Mount Veeder and Carneros.
Newton is renowned for producing wines that are uniquely characterful expressions of varietals emblematic of the Napa Valley, notably Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Working patiently with nature, we are committed to precision viticulture and winemaking techniques yielding wines that are acclaimed for their balance, harmony and full, abundant flavors.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.