© 1996 JDM Enterprises All Rights Reserved Vol. H No. 52 NEWLAN UPDATE by Jerry D. Mead One of those small vineyards and wineries that win medals, awards and good critical notices, Newlan is a producer that has never quite acquired the cult status of a Caymus, Grgich or Stag's Leap...and I think I've just figured out why. With those other producers I know almost before I taste the wines each year which variety is going to win my heart, and more importantly, my palate. They tend to excel with the same couple of varieties every year. Newlan, on the other hand, drives me a little crazy. One year I love its Pinot Noir, while the next I only think it's o.k. One Late Harvest Riesling wins every prize in the sight, while in another vintage it's only good not great. Or just when I get to thinking of the winery for one variety, it comes along and knocks my sox off with another. Go figure. Newlan is open to visitors at its Napa Valley location, but even regular wine country tourists often miss it. It's at the southern end of the valley, before you get onto the stretch where there's a winery every 100 yards. To inquire about visiting or to track down the Newlan wines reviewed today: Newlan Winery, 5225 Solano Ave., Napa, CA 94558 (707) 257-2399. The current Chardonnay release from 1994 is a good wine and a fair value at $14 (84/84), while the 1994 Pinot Noir at $18 has its complex notes but is on the lighter side (85/83). And the Newlan "Cuvee 94-95 Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling" is pricey at $24 the half bottle (90/81), but is truly dessert in a glass with mostly honey flavors complemented by pear, peach and lichee fruit. Now we can talk about the really special Newlan wines! Newlan 1993 "Napa" Cabernet Sauvignon ($18) Big and rich with loads of cassis and blackberry fruit with a bittersweet chocolate background. Lots of earthy, leathery complexity and some very interesting woody-cedary after-flavors. While this wine is bold, deeply extracted and cellar-worthy, it is at once supple and silky and not at all unpleasant or harsh in its youth. Case purchases highly recommended. Rating: 95/90 BEST BUY WINE OF THE WEEK Newlan 1994 "Napa" Zinfandel ($15) Before we go any further...I like this wine a lot (I only scored one Zin higher in all of 1996) and think it is one very special value. Production and therefore availability is limited, but it is just released so your chances of finding some are increased. Produced 100 percent from dry-farmed Napa Valley fruit, 60 percent of which come from gnarly old vines 40 years old or older. Because it used to be the fashion to interplant other varieties in what was called "field blends," the older vineyards do contain some grapes other than Zinfandel. About 15 percent is a blend of Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet, Carignane and Grand Noir. Big and extractive but not overripe or alcoholic. Very deep black fruit flavors, like black raspberry, black cherry and currant. Nicely oaked; firmly structured for aging, with sizable but not tough tannins. Delicious! Rating: 98/94 SILVERADO HILL UPDATE Here is another small Napa winery, open to visitors by appointment only, this one specializing in Chardonnay. I've always liked the wines (some more than others), but writing about them has always been difficult. The Japanese owners, and the former Hungarian manager, were not always on the cutting edge of packaging and marketing. They made two, and sometimes three, distinct styles of Chardonnay, with different prices and even different label designs. But the labels all said the exact same thing: Silverado Hill Napa Valley Chardonnay. They referred to them within the winery as "traditional" style or "reserve" style, but it was never on the label. So if I reviewed one of them, I had to review them all to explain the differences, and the only way to tell people to tell the difference was to say something like, " The one with all the oak vanillin is the one with the label with the avant garde artwork," or some such thing. After all these years (and all my complaining), they're still making three Chardonnays, but they finally went to labels that have separate designations. Silverado Hill 1995 "Art Cuvee" Chardonnay ($10) Youngish, green apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of astringency in the finish that may soften with a few months in the bottle. No wood at all, though you might imagine some. Rating: 82/85 Silverado Hill 1995 "Traditional" Chardonnay ($12) Barrel-aged in a combination of French oak and French-coopered American oak, the apple flavors are riper and their is appealing vanillin in both bouquet and aftertaste. Will definitely be better with 1-2 years in the bottle. Rating: 85/87 Silverado Hill 1995 "Select Reserve" Chardonnay ($15) Smoky, toasty, earthy, very complex bouquet, with apple and a blend of tropical fruits. The smoky-toasty quality hangs in there throughout the taste experience and into the pleasantly lingering aftertaste. Rating: 89/90 Silverado Hill 1993 "Napa" Cabernet Sauvignon ($15) The middle of the biggest grape shortage in 30 years is a tough time to start making red wines, but SH is doing well for only its second or third effort. This medium bodied red wine has mostly berry fruit, with a hint of green olive herbaceousness. It is a pleasant, immediately enjoyable red that is not meant to be a long-keeper. Rating: 86/84 You can contact Silverado Hill Cellars at: Box 2640, 3103 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558 (707) 253-9306 for appointments or to track down retail outlets. HOME The Mead On Wine Web Page is designed, maintained and hosted by Wines on the Internet. Reproduction rights reserved. Latest Update: February 3, 1997