SOMMELIER RETREAT

Unfiltered wine is more than just a buzzword or marketing scheme. In fact, youÕve probably had an unfiltered wine... Champagne! Newton Vineyard was the first winery in the US to commercially sell an unfiltered Chardonnay, and this 2018 vintage shows how successful of a method that can be. Imagine a brewed coffee with grounds still in it: you could either run it through a sieve or filter, or you could let the grounds settle to the bottom and drink the coffee off the top. That is the basic process for unfiltered wine. The grapes for this 100 percent Chardonnay wine were grown in Carneros. A cooler climate and influences of sea breezes help to retain natural acidity, balancing out the effects of aging in new American oak. Expected flavors of butter, vanilla, and almost tropical-like aromas of banana, guava, with a hint of wet stone, are well-balanced on the palate. It cleans up nicely with smooth acidity.