History
Newton Vineyard was founded in 1977 by Peter and Su Hua Newton after the sale of Sterling Vineyards, which Peter had founded in 1964. The first vintage at Newton was 1982, with wines crafted by Ric Forman.
The wines are produced on the estate, which totals 560 acres. It is located at an average elevation of 1600 feet on the eastern slopes of Spring Mountain. This is a particularly favored site, since the peak of the mountain shields most of the vineyards from the hottest rays of the afternoon sun. The elevation also brings lower average temperatures and a long exposure to the cooler but equally bright rays of morning sun. This ensures that the vines get all the sunlight they need but none of the baking effect or heat stress that can affect valley floor fruit.
 Newton Vineyard's raison d'être is terroir. This sometimes slippery phrase refers to the role of geology, climate and culture in the making of wine - especially soil structure and exposure to sun. Newton's vineyards are planted on deep volcanic free draining soils. The Estate is planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Merlot thrives in rocky soil mixed with clay beneath the surface, while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot like well-drained, poor soil, and Cabernet Sauvignon does well in stony loam. The mountainous slopes of the vineyards have each of these soils, but also a full range of exposures. Hillside vineyards may be difficult to cultivate and very labor intensive, but the reward is richly flavored fruit.
Chardonnay, however, needs chalky or loamy soil in a cooler region. Newton owns an old vineyard in Carneros and also has long-term grape contracts for several hillside vineyards near the same region. Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay, introduced in 1990, was one of the first unfiltered wines produced and sold in California, and is now regarded as an industry benchmark.
Grape growing
Su Hua insists on picking only ripe grapes from the vine. Her method of quality control is to be involved in every aspect of the harvest. To ensure that only ripe grapes are harvested, there can be up to four separate pickings in a single vineyard - very difficult to do but, she believes, there is no other way to produce a great wine.
The respect for nature that typifies Dr. Newton's approach is also reflected in the development of the vineyard. The 110 acres or so of Estate vineyard are scattered carefully among the forested land so as to minimally disturb the balance of the food chain. Similarly, the winery is integrated into the hillside. Rather than being placed in large structures, the necessary but hard edge winemaking equipment is housed in the face of the hillside. All is covered with trellisage, intertwined with jasmine and honeysuckle. The finished wines are aged in handcrafted French oak barrels set in caves in the heart of the mountain - reminiscent of those of Champagne. This results in a constant cool temperature and even humidity levels.
Low input farming is at the center of Su Hua’s philosophy in the vineyard. A minimum of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are used. At harvest, the key emphasis at Newton is on ripeness, which is determined by Su Hua as she tastes the grapes maturing in the vineyard. All grapes are picked by hand, and as many as four passes are made through the vineyards to ensure optimal ripeness.
The outcome of working in tandem with nature is a stable of wines widely regarded as among the best. Each new release is heralded as another expression of the terroir – a fitting tribute to the glorious land that is Newton Vineyard.
Winemaking
Newton wines are fermented by natural yeast to obtain complex aromatics, and no sulfur is added during their elaboration. The wines are never acidified, and they go through the malolactic fermentation naturally. Aging takes place in hand-crafted French oak barrels in cool caves and Newton produces unfiltered wines that are the purest expression of the beauty of these vineyard sites.
The Red Label Chardonnay is barrel ferment with wild yeast before being aged for nine months in French oak, fined, filtered and bottled. The Claret undergoes a cold maceration prior to fermentation on natural yeasts with gentle extraction before spending 20 months in cask. Both of these wines utilize a higher proportion of older oak in order to maintain only a gentle oak influence on the aroma and flavor.
The Unfiltered Chardonnay is barrel fermented in French oak on natural yeasts prior to a natural malolactic fermentation and occasional lees stirring during the 21 month élevage in cask. Both the Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon and the Unfiltered Merlot are blended with small quantities of the other Bordeaux varietals. The Merlot is fermented on natural yeasts with frequent pumpovers and punching down, and the ferment begins in stainless steel before being pressed off and finished in barrel. The Cabernet Sauvignon is fermented with wild yeasts in wooden upright fermenting tanks at low temperature, with malolactic fermentation finished in barrel. Both of these wines are 22-24 months in cask.
The Puzzle is the top Icon wine of the estate, produced exclusively from estate grown fruit naturally fermented and gently extracted during a warm fermentation. The wine is aged 22–24 months in cask, and the 2002 vintage was 35% Cabernet Franc, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot.
Newton Vineyard is a small, prestigious boutique producer
All of the wine at Newton is hand crafted from the finest fruit available (Spring Mountain fruit for the Bordeaux blends, and Carneros fruit for the Chardonnays). This ensures exacting quality control, and the finest results for the consumer.
Newton Vineyard owns some of the finest vineyard property in the Napa Valley
Spring Mountain vineyards have come to be recognized as the premier location for the production of the Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. This is because the cool climate, thin soils, and generally sunny conditions combine to produce wines that are both ripe and structured.
The Chardonnay and Pinot produced in Carneros benefit from the cool conditions and clay soils that provide a perfect medium for nuturing these early-ripening varietals while helping them to conserve balancing acidity.
These sites produce some of the highest quality wines in the Valley that have delighted consumers for 25 years.
Newton Vineyard has a long history of producing award-winning wines
For many years, Newton has been among the favorite wines of the industry press. This means that the wines will sell quickly from a wine list or retail shelf.
Newton Vineyard is a pioneer in the production of unfiltered wineOne of the first to champion unfiltered wines in California, Dr. Newton realized that this was one crucial step in her quest to have wines of great impact and depth of flavor. Bottling without filtration means that none of the qualities so painstakingly acquired in the vineyard will be lost.
Newton Vineyard has long been an advocate of low-input wine production
Few, if any chemicals are used at Newton – no pesticides, no herbicides, no fungicides, no fertilizers, no sulfur prior to bottling, no cultured yeast etc. Not only does this provide a benefit to the environment and to the local community, but it also allows for the elaboration of natural wines that offer great complexity and transparency of flavor as a result.
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