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Newton Napa County 2008 Unfiltered Chardonnay, $32.29-$39.99, 92 points, is more round, more rich, and more full-bodied than your average California Chardonnay, as you might suspect with the term "unfiltered" used on the label. Does that mean it's better? I can't answer that, and like everything in life you have devotees, but I just taste the wine and try and give a relative judgment as to how much I like the wines I taste. The price of the wine has to be taken into consideration, and this is not an inexpensive Chardonnay.
There is another aspect of buying a wine, and as I've mentioned before: how will the bottle itself enhance your "table setting" and is that a consideration for you, is the meal an important occasion?
I've included a picture of the whole bottle to display the elegance of this one and how lovely it is; I'm guessing that the Newton winery spent a bit more money bottling this wine.
To the wine:The color is golden with brassy tones.
The aroma is apple blossoms and honey-dew.
The medium-plus body carries mouth-watering acidity smoothly, is off dry, and has flavors (none-over-powering) of melon, quince, vanilla, butterscotch, and caramel. The wine finishes long with ginger and white pepper.
I like this wine, and I believe the cost of $32.29 is comparable to other Chardonnay wines in the low 90s; is it your best value? Only in tasting will you know.
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Dennis, I haven't had this wine in well over a decade. But back then, it was the industry standard for rich and blowsy California Chardonnay. An if you bought it for $32, it sounds like the price hasn't gone up much at all. Seems like we were selling for $29.99 in the late 90s in Austin, TX.
ReplyDeleteBill, I hadn't seen the descriptor "blowsy" before, so, this is the definition I came up with: "describes a woman who is quite fat and untidy looking, often with badly fitting clothes."
ReplyDeleteHelp me out with your meaning.
Is it "fat"? Also, I've heard of Chardonnay as a feminine wine; do you have any thoughts on that as a descriptor?
"Blowsy" generally refers to a wine that's on the sweet/fruity side; often alcoholic as well. I guess "hedonistic" is the more fashionable terminology now.
Delete"Feminine" is usually used in association with lighter, more elegant and balanced wines as opposed to rich, over-the-top, full-extracted wines. It can be used to describe any varietal. For example, a light, unoaked Chardonnay from the Macon might be described as "feminine" compared to a blowsy Newton or Rombauer Chard.
Thanks Bill, I can now see the Blowsy side-by-side with hedonistic. As for the feminine descriptor, if it is used for Chablis, that I can see.
Delete