Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2015 | 750 ml.

VN93 Vinous May 2017

"Bright medium yellow. Ripe, sexy scents of stone and citrus fruits, clove, nutmeg, butterscotch and minerals. Then wonderfully intense but a bit youthfully closed in on itself, with its very fresh fruit flavors firmed by penetrating acidity and underlying salty minerality. Savory, extract-rich and light on its feet, with a very long, building, slightly phenolic finish calling for a year or two of patience. At once elegant and solid, this Chardonnay has the inner-mouth tension to uncoil slowly and should age very well. Held up very well in the recorked bottle, maintaining its energy and tight-grained texture and showing riper soft citrus flavors." (93 pts.)

RP92 Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate 28th Apr 2017

"The 2015 Family Vineyards Chardonnay comes from iron-rich clayey soils populated by 12 to 15-year-old vines, aged in barriques with 25% new oak. It has a more extroverted bouquet compared to the Southend Chardonnay, with hints of melted butter infusing the citrus fruit, also with peach skin and sea spray aromas. The palate is very well balanced with a smooth entry. There are veins of tropical fruit such as guava and melon, a fine line of acidity and a very seductive and composed finish. This is a very worthy follow-up to the excellent 2014 and comes highly recommended." (92 pts.)