Current releases
Olivia Brion Pinot Noir 2007
Heron Lake Vineyard, Wild Horse Valley
The 2007 vintage has already earned the reputation as one of the best ever vintages for pinot, and it may be our best since '94! Only twenty-nine barrels (680 cases) were bottled.
Deep crimson color, sassafras tea, clove and coriander, aromatic layer after layer as the wine opens. Taste red plums, cherry pie and sweet toasty oak. Focused acidity, volume without weight in the mid-palate, two-minute finish, and minerality from the vineyard's rocky subsoils. This young wine is opening superbly.
The guiding principle for our wine is gentle fruit handling – not a seed broken! Our gravity flow system works on four levels, with the vineyard being the uppermost level. After harvesting, grapes are carried downhill and poured into the de-stemmer. The whole berries fall into the T bin below. By fermenting in small open-top bins, with frequent punch downs, some alcohol is evaporated naturally. After gentle pressing, the wine is transferred by gravity into French oak barrels (one-third new) below in the underground cellar to be aged fourteen months. Finished alcohol 13.9%
• Download the Olivia Brion Pinot Noir 2007 PDF fact sheet.
• Place an order for wine.
Olivia Brion Chardonnay 2007
Heron Lake Vineyard, Wild Horse Valley
For many years Newton Winery has used chardonnay from our vineyard in their famous "Unfiltered" bottling. Our own "Unfiltered" chardonnay has sold so quickly that only a few cases remain– these are being sold at six bottles max per customer!
A rich yet focused wine, key lime pie opening to white peach aromas and hazelnuts, exotic and friendly at the same time, with a creaminess like crème brulee, concentration and balance, yet the flavors dance across the palate through the long finish. This wine is very expressive of the unique vineyard it comes from!
Like the best Burgundies, we ferment this chardonnay in the special barrels made by Latour and Francois Frères. The wine develops fourteen months in these special barrels sur-lies with batonage (on the yeast with stirring). The integrity of the vineyard is maintained by bottling without filtration.
• Download the Olivia Brion Chardonnay 2007 PDF fact sheet.
• Place an order for wine.
Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Meadowood Lane Vineyard, St. Helena
Six years of organic farming methods are really paying off in the fruit quality. We are carrying the banner toward wines with moderate alcohol with great balance and structure. The Palladian vineyard is across the road from the Napa Reserve vineyard and next to Meadowood Country Club. 475 cases produced, estate bottled.
Polished and refined. Tightly wound at first, gains depth and richness as it opens. Bright nose of cherry and black currents encircled by a hint of cigar-box cedar. Some delicate floral notes of violets from the cabernet franc influence. The palate is all cassis and kirsch with a little cocoa powder. The tannins are silky. Finishes long and clean – classical, balanced structure.
After careful hand sorting, and four to five days aqueous soak in one-ton bins, the whole berries are fermented cool (72 – 75°F) to preserve the fruit flavors. The cap is punched down every six hours to extract the desirable fine skin tannins and evaporate alcohol. Finished alcohol 13.9%. Pressing is very gentle, "one light, slow, squeeze". The wine is barreled down into French oak from several premium coopers for twenty-two to twenty-four months in our aging cave. Typically the wine is released after two years of additional bottle aging.
• Download the Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 PDF fact sheet.
• Place an order for wine.
Lord Nelson 'Victory' Fortified “Port-Style” Wine
Lord Nelson "Victory" is a dense yet polished vintage port-style fortified wine. THIS is my fruit bomb! Perfect with a chocolate and berry dessert (or maybe a good cigar) 1,200 half bottles produced
The main varietal in the blend is Syrah, which gives it great concentration and color. Cabernet Franc adds the mocha/cocoa, and Viognier adds the honeysuckle aromatics with hints of Meyer lemon peel. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a beautiful density and a sweet fruity and fine tannic aftertaste. Balanced yet muscular.
This wine is produced in small amount only in the best vintages and when there is sufficient aged brandy, which I also distill. Made in the traditional 25% reserve method to insure consistency of style. Addition of the brandy to stop the fermentation must happen in the middle of the night with a secret ceremony! The finished alcohol is 20%. Great luck has been involved in making this special wine – truly a labor of love–it could easily outlive me!
• Download the Lord Nelson PDF fact sheet.
• Place an order for wine.
