2018 Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Chardonnay Napa Valley, USA

Winemaker Notes
Our 2016 Unfiltered Chardonnay was 100% barrel fermented, using indigenous yeasts. The wine was aged for a total of 12 months in French oak barrels, 24% of which were new. During maturation, every barrel lot was tasted biweekly and hand-stirred only when needed to re-suspend the sediment. This technique protects the wine naturally from oxidation.

Boasting vibrant aromas of tangerine blossom and wet stone, the 2016 Unfiltered Chardonnay is beautifully balanced with a pleasant crisp character. In the glass, it exhibits a light straw color with a faint green hue.

Press
Rated 96 Points Decanter
Incredibly refined, powerful and sumptuously smooth. Notes of nectarine, almond, custard combined with apple, oyster shell, smoke and a touch of butterscotch. A rounded and stunningly lingering finish.

Rated 94 Points James Suckling
This is a delicious chardonnay that shows just the right balance between dried citrus rind and pithy grapefruit and vanilla and butter. Full-bodied with lovely phenolics, providing depth and structure. Vibrant yet oily on the finish. Drink now or hold.

Rated 93 Points Wine & Spirits
This vintage is the first at Newton for Alberto Bianchi, who had made wine at other Moët Hennessy properties in Margaret River, Marlborough and Mendoza after starting out in Italy. He focused this chardonnay on fruit from Carneros, with a contribution from Rutherford; it fermented spontaneously in French oak barrels (24 percent new) where it aged as well. It’s refreshing, firm and juicy, a sleek chardonnay that feels carefully crafted. Time in oak adds a salted caramel note to the brisk and earthy finish.

Rated 93 Points Wine Enthusiast
Entirely barrel fermented, this white is beautifully aromatic in pear, toasted oak and hazelnut. High toned, floral and earthy, it shows deft balance in the glass, offering elegance and impressive complexity that lasts gingerly on the finish.