Professor Bainbridge...on law, politics, religion, culture & food

Newton Claret (Napa Valley) 1999

Continues to improve and evolve (last noted in November '03). It's developing a very claret-like nose, appropriately enough, somewhat reminiscent of a good St. Julien.

Leather, pencil shavings, dried cranberries, dried currants, and a dash of oriental spice. Yummy. It has enough tannin left, not to mention a core of bright acids, to suggest that continued cellaring through perhaps the end of the decade would not be amiss. When issued it sold for under $20, which makes it one of the great bargains in my cellar. It's considerably better than a lot of $50+ wines I own. Grade: A