A blend of 42% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the 2008 The Puzzle offers up notes of burning embers, charcoal, Chinese black tea, spice and earth. The complex aromatics are followed by a medium-bodied, elegant, Bordeaux-like wine that is still somewhat restrained and discrete. It should drink well for a decade. Newton has a brilliant history of making very long-lived wines (their 1991s and 1992s are still showing well), although the current vintages seem slightly more developed and forward than those earlier years. Nonetheless, they are noteworthy efforts. They have always done an exceptional job with Merlot, largely because Newton was one of Napa Valley’s early clients of Bordeaux’s famed Michel Rolland.Tel. (707) 963-9000; Fax (707) 963-5408

This Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blend is very rich and elaborate, a major league hitter for its spectacular fruit and tannins. The flavors are deep and concentrated, suggesting perfectly ripened blackberries, cassis and milk chocolate, with a minerality that must come from the soil. It’s also very soft, in the modern style. ——S.H.(3/1/2011)—— 91

The 2005 The Puzzle plays it closer to the vest than the 2004. It is a beautifully textured, pure wine, but obviously needs time. It won’t be bottled for at least another year. The wine has a deep ruby/purple color and notes of subtle smoke intermixed with underbrush, black currant, cherry, licorice, and lavender. It is medium to full-bodied, has good acidity, and prominent tannins. Based on the way the wine was tasting when I was at Newton, this wine will need 4-5 years of bottle age, and should drink well for at least two-plus decades One of the most spectacularly beautiful vineyards, high on the lower slopes of Spring Mountain, is Newton Vineyards. Organically farmed and impeccably manicured, this was one of the first outposts to which famed Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland came, and an entire generation of winemakers formed by his brilliance have emerged from Newton. The overall style of the wine is one built on European elegance and longevity. The vintages from the early 1990s are still doing well, especially the 1990 and 1991.Tel. (707) 963-9000; Fax (707) 944-1123