Winemaker Notes

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS It has juicy layers of raspberries, cherries and chocolate strawberries. It is a sexy wine that invites one to taste it again and again. VINIFICATION 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. VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS 1998 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.
Newton Vineyard

Newton Vineyard

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Newton Vineyard Winery Video

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.

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Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.

Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.

SWS69093_1998 Item# 31252