Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2011 & Takeout Chinese

Wine Name: Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2011

Wine: Chardonnay
Country: USA	Region:  Napa Valley
Rating:  OK	Price: $30
Recommendation: Not recommended, at $30 I don’t think the wine is good value for money. Recently, I found a bottle of unfiltered Chardonnay and became very curious to find out more about it. Wine filtering is a process used to remove particles, such as small skin and stalk, and cells, such as yeast and bacteria. The most common reasons to filter wines are related to cosmetics and risk. From a cosmetic perspective, filtering results in a “clearer” and “cleaner” appearance, especially in white wines. Filtering wines reduces the risk of wine “failure” due to fermentation in the bottle or contamination at a cellular level. So the big question, does it effect the taste of the wine? Well, that depends! This is a matter of considerable debate, many people say that unfiltered wines have enhanced flavors and aromas, on the other hand there is apparently no scientific evidence to support this. So, it is a matter of opinion. I would be interested in your opinion and experiences.   The Newton Vineyard is located on Spring Mountain in St. Helena, around 65 miles north of San Francisco. Spring Mountain is in the Mayacamas range separating the Napa and Sonoma valleys. The vicinity is quite hilly and the vines are grown in parcels that range from relatively flat to steep. The approaches used by the winery for producing their grapes and making their wines strongly support sustainable practices, biodiversity and conservation, which I applaud. The result is a beautiful balance between agriculture and the natural environment. The wines from the winery are produced using natural fermentation and no filtering processes. The grapes are hand-picked in small batches and fermented separately to enhance blending options. The final barrel aging process occurs in a cave in the mountain below the winery. http://www.newtonvineyard.com/wine The Newton unfiltered Chardonnay is a beautiful golden color, a little cloudy, but to me, this only enhances the beautiful color. There is a slight oak fragrance, which adds to the pleasant appearance. The taste is very bold, yet a little harsh with strong acidity. Surprisingly, there was little complexity to the wine and it was low on distinguishable fruit flavors. There was minimal to no oak flavor, which I like in a Chardonnay. If you like very strong un-oaked Chardonnay with some acidity then you might enjoy this wine. Personally, I was disappointed in the wine and the overarching acidity and harshness. It would be preferable with cheeses and cheese based food to counteract the acidity. In my opinion, the wine does not represent good value for the price. I will be on the lookout for other Newton wines as I like their natural concept approach to winemaking. Due to time constraints this week, we had the wine with a takeout Chinese meal from a Chain Chinese restaurant called Pei Wei’s. The food at Pei Wei’s is prepared in open kitchens complete with bursts of flame coming from the woks as the various meals are cooked. It makes for a great visual experience and the food is prepared quickly in full view. The food is good and they claim to include fresh ingredients and no MSG, however, they do not mention the levels of salt and sugar used in their cooking. The prices are reasonable and we like their food.

Rating: I am giving this wine an OK because I felt it was a little too harsh, with too much acidity and lack of fruit character. The overall taste did not support the price tag in my opinion.

Available from HEB supermarket in Houston.