Newton Claret (Napa Valley) 1999

Excellent -- highly recommended. Newton is a consistently reliable red wine house. Technically, the Claret is one of their second wines. Yet, in 1999, it produced a wine of exceptional quality at a remarkably reasonable price (less than $20 in LA). While this wine likely is dominated by merlot, the blend clearly includes cabernet sauvignon and, especially, cabernet franc. A medium purple shading through ruby to red at the rim. A reticent nose, which hints of red currants and olives, that gradually opens with breathing. Deep classic merlot/cabernet flavors that tend lean slightly to the herbal/olive end of the spectrum, but with notes of spices and dark berries. (The olive/herbal flavor components are why I suspect there is a fair bit of cab franc in the blend. Although I would not be surprised by that flavor profile in a Sonoma cab sauvignon, I would not expect it in a Napa CS.) A graceful wine that will age well to at least the end of the decade. Grade: A