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

Newton Claret (Napa Valley) 1999

Prior notes in 2/2005 and 11/2003 praised this remarkable wine. I bought it upon release at a mere $19/bottle. At age 9, it is still going strong and has outperformed many more expensive wines. In 2005, I noted: “Leather, pencil shavings, dried cranberries, dried currants, and a dash of oriental spice,” which isn’t a bad description of the wine tonight. The additional years of bottle age have further mellowed the wine and brought the earthy flavors of maturity further to the front, but it still has plenty of delicious dark fruit left. Sadly, only one bottle remains in my cellar. I’ll open it in late next year at age 10, although if I had several bottles left I might let one go to age 15 or even 20 to see what happens as it continues to evolve. Grade: A