Newton Vineyard
| Newton Vineyard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | St. Helena, California, USA |
| Appellation | Spring Mountain District AVA |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Key people |
|
| Parent company | LVMH |
| Known for | Unfiltered Chardonnay, "Le Puzzle" red blend |
| Varietals | Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot |
| Website | newtonvineyard |
Newton Vineyard is a wine estate on Spring Mountain near St. Helena in California's Napa Valley. Founded in 1977 by Peter Newton and his wife, it is now part of the Estates & Wines division of LVMH, which acquired a controlling interest in the business in 2001. It was extensively damaged in 2020's Glass Fire and in early 2025 announced it would be closing permanently.
History
[edit]Peter Newton, who had previously co-founded Sterling Vineyards, founded Newton Vineyard in 1977 with his wife, Su Hua.[1][2] Originally one square mile, it was one of the first wineries on Spring Mountain.[2][3]
The French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH acquired a majority stake in Newton Vineyard in 2001 through its subsidiary Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.[1][4][5][6] After Peter Newton died in 2008, the Newton family retained a 10% share in the business.[7] In 2018, it was LVMH's first American property to open temporarily to the public as part of the company's biennial Journées Particulières;[8] it then began to offer visits by appointment.[3]
The 500-acre Spring Mountain winery was hidden from view by forest.[7] Landscaped with formal gardens and cypress trees, it had multi-level cellars[8] and a Japanese-style pagoda housing a laboratory and a fermentation room.[9] The property was renovated in 2019–20 at a cost of $10 million, and the vineyards were converted to organic viticulture.[7] Weeks after the completion of work, it was severely damaged by the Glass Fire in September 2020; of 68 acres under vine, only 5 survived, 6,000 trees were killed,[10] and most of the buildings, including the tasting room, were destroyed.[9] Newton moved production to Brasswood in St. Helena,[2] where in 2021 it offered wine tastings and lunch with wine pairings by appointment;[11] the following year, it opened a tasting room in Calistoga.[12]
In 2021, Newton Vineyard was planning to rebuild,[10] but after its Calistoga lease ran out in 2024, in early 2025 it announced that it would be closing permanently.[2][7]
Winery
[edit]From 1983 to 1996, Newton Vineyard's Chardonnay production was guided by winemaker John Kongsgaard, and used grapes from his vineyard. Those wines, produced by a French-influenced methodology involving lengthy aging without filtration, were influential in California.[2][13][14] The winery continued to be known for unfiltered wines, lower in alcohol than other Napa Valley wines,[2] and in 2009 began an annual sponsorship of an artist to produce a limited-edition wine-related item in support of its "eco-chic" image.[15] Robert Mann became estate director and winemaker in 2014.[16] In 2017, Jean-Baptiste Rivail became estate director.[10] Alberto Bianchi, who became head winemaker in 2016,[17] was succeeeded in July 2021 by Andrew Holve.[18]
At the time of its acquisition by LVMH in 2001, Newton Vineyard owned more than 130 acres of vineyards and had an annual production of 28,000–40,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot, produced by the Newtons under consultation with oenologist Michel Rolland.[4] As of 2017[update], it owned 170 acres, in the Yountville and Mount Veeder appellation areas as well as the winery location on Spring Mountain, where a 2012 replanting had focused on Cabernet.[16] Until that year, Newton incorporated Cabernet from all three vineyards in its red wine blend, sold under the Le Puzzle brand;[6] for the 2014 vintage, wine from the three was bottled separately.[16] Newton's annual production before the 2020 fire was approximately 20,000 cases.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fox, Margalit (February 18, 2008). "Peter Newton, Napa Vintner, Dies at 81". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Lander, Jess (February 13, 2025). "A 2020 wildfire nearly destroyed this classic Napa Valley winery. Now it's closing for good". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Kester, Jennifer (January 3, 2019). "The Secret Napa Winery You Need To Visit". Forbes (Travel Guide).
- ^ a b Dana, Nigro (April 22, 2015). "LVMH takes controlling stake in wineries in California and Australia". Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ "LVMH Buys Vineyard Stake". WWD. January 8, 2001.
- ^ a b Carson, L. Pierce (January 18, 2001). "Trinchero Family Estates goes 'Down Under' to create new wine label". Napa Valley Register. p. 1C – via California Digital Newspaper Collection, University of California Riverside.
- ^ a b c d Worobiec, MaryAnn (February 14, 2025). "Napa's Historic Newton Vineyard Will Close Permanently". Wine Spectator.
- ^ a b "Newton Vineyard Opens Its Doors For The Journees Particulieres By LVMH". Multivu (press release). September 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Mobley, Esther (October 2, 2020). "Napa's Spring Mountain avoided fires for years. Now the hill's boutique wineries face total destruction". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c d Molesworth, James (May 10, 2021). "Exclusive First Look: Newton Vineyard Rebuilds After 2020 Wildfires". Wine Spectator.
- ^ "The Wine Press: Newton Vineyard launches guest experiences at Brasswood St. Helena". Napa Valley Register. April 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021.
- ^ Lander, Jess (September 6, 2022). "After burning down, a classic Napa winery finds a new home, plus 8 other Wine Country developments".
- ^ Bonné, Jon (September 26, 2008). "John Kongsgaard". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Bonné, Jon (July 22, 2013). "How John Kongsgaard rewrote the rules of white wine". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Hughes, Beth (April 1, 2010). "Objects of Desire: Wine decanter is a 'Touch' of color and style". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "Newton Introduces a New Range of Single Vineyard Cabernets". Wine Business. December 1, 2017.
- ^ "Napa Valley ADAMVS Winery Welcomes Alberto Bianchi as Winemaker". California Ag Network (press release). August 9, 2021.
- ^ "New winemaker at Napa Valley's Newton Vineyard has Sonoma County roots". North Bay Business Journal. July 13, 2021.