Skyside Sonoma County Chardonnay

Had another bottle. Founded in 1977 by English businessman Peter Newton and his Chinese wife Su Hua. Newton was already a pioneer of winemaking in Napa, having founded the Sterling Winery in the 1960s. Clear golden color with aromas of stone fruits and sweet spice notes. The palate shows basic stone fruits of peach and apple with some honey and a bit of oak. Crisp, good balance, medium finish, slight mineral and oaky on the soft ending. Good value.

Founded in 1977 by English businessman Peter Newton and his Chinese wife Su Hua. Newton was already a pioneer of winemaking in Napa, having founded the Sterling Winery in the 1960s. Clear light golden color with aromas of stone fruits and sweet notes. The palate shows basic stone fruits of peach and apple with a touch of honey and oak. Crisp, good balance, medium finish, slight mineral and oaky on the soft ending. Good value.

Newton was acquired by LVMH in 2001, but from 1983 to 1996 John Kongsgaard served as winemaker. A brief anecdote would not do Kongsgaard justice as to the depth and breadth of his influence throughout Napa and California (read Jon Bonné’s “How John Kongsgaard rewrote the rules of white wine” from the San Francisco Chronicle). His influence at Newton is still evident today, even in their most basic offering... And, yes, the discount was almost criminal. No malo, and Burgundy inspired, sautéed lemon peel, lychee, peach, apple, pear, apricot, and finishes with a toasty nut and waxy, almost lipstick flavor, stopping just short with a mix of straw, chalk, and petrol. This is a Chardonnay that wears mostly LL Bean, but whose shoes are always shined.

Crisp apple aromas. Apple, pear, and lightly oaked. A good effort for their entry level chardonnay.

Notes of vanilla and some oakiness. A bit bitter at first, but then smooths out a bit.

Nice mouthfeel with initial CA Chardonnay butteriness. Finish is more minerally, with faint oakiness.

Cheap and tart. Living off good branding.

Buttery golden color and hint of vanilla after taste. Apple and pear notes throughout. Would definitely buy this again.

Meh - guess I expected more from Newton, this lacked coherence: didn’t know if this wanted to be Old or New World - lacked concentration & focus, some mineral, musk, wax & lanolin (almost SB-like) but then some apple. Slightest trace of oak but didn’t get big Malo hit. Decent acidity but just wasn’t working for us.

All the right things in a Chardonnay