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In addition to the vineyards, the winery and hospitality areas that had been upgraded just weeks before the fires were demolished by the blaze. The rest is thickly forested, and much of that now needs to be cleared-those 6,000 trees. Located behind David Abreu’s famed Madrona Ranch property, Newton Vineyard covers 1 square mile, but with its terrain there are only about 70 acres of plantable land. It’s the Spring Mountain property, the basis for those single-vineyard wines, that is now the heavy lift. There are sources in Yountville and Mount Veeder that survived the fires as well. The Chardonnay production will continue unabated during the rebuild, as that fruit comes primarily from Newton’s Carneros vines. The portfolio is topped by a small set of single-vineyard Cabernets that have been earning outstanding marks of 90 points or more on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale. Newton was producing around 20,000 cases annually, supported by its popular Unfiltered Chardonnay bottling and a red blend called Puzzle. “It’s good to have a young team that is really ready to go.” But they are also excited and energized to rebuild,” Rivail says. It’s hard, of course, to see your work ruined. “They’ve both been here for a few years, so they know the property.
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A polished professional with a gentle demeanor, Rivail has some wind at his back for the Herculean task ahead, along with viticulturist Laura Deyermond and winemaker Alberto Bianchi, both just 34. Rivail granted Wine Spectator exclusive access to tour the damaged property and see firsthand the rebuild effort already underway. “And then in 2020 the fire started the day after we had everything picked and in the winery.”īut from every difficult situation comes hope and the chance to improve. “I arrived to start at Newton the day fires started,” he says with a gentle ruefulness. Just 5 acres survived, says Rivail, who joined LVMH, Newton’s owner, in 2012, and came on board at Newton in 2017. The 500-acre property had 68 acres under vine and was still celebrating its 40th anniversary when the Glass fire ignited in September 2020. Add drought on top of all that and just getting a new vineyard established would be difficult here, let alone having to clear the burned material out before replanting. Its location on Spring Mountain-a curving, winding, altitude-changing mix of exposures and slopes-makes it among the most difficult to farm in Napa Valley. The Newton property was heavily damaged in the 2020 wine-country wildfires. The cost to do just that is several million dollars,” says estate director Jean-Baptiste Rivail. “We need to take out for risk of falling and causing further damage, while balancing that removal against erosion control. That’s what needs to be cleared and removed at Napa’s Newton Vineyard, and how long it’s likely to take. Mexican director and member of the Feature Film jury Guillermo del Toro (R) and his wife Lorenza Newton pose as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Shan He Gu Ren' (Mountains May Depart) at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southeastern France, on May 20, 2015.Six thousand charred dead trees.LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 26: Guillermo del Toro and wife Lorenza Newton arrive at the 'Don't Be Afraid of The Dark' Closing Night Gala screening during the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival held at the Regal Cinemas L.A.LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 13: Director Guillermo del Toro (R) and Lorenza Newton arrive at the premiere of Sony Pictures Classics 'I'm So Excited!' during the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival at Regal Cinemas L.A.HOLLYWOOD, CA- JULY 09: Director Guillermo del Toro (R) and wife Lorenza Newton arrive at the 'Pacific Rim' - Los Angeles Premiere at Dolby Theatre on Jin Hollywood, California.(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage).HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 14: Guillermo Del Toro and his wife Lorenza Newton attend the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards at Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios lot on Februin Hollywood, California.Lorenza Newton and Guillermo Del Toro attends at the 'Montains May Depart' Premiere during the 68th Cannes Film Festival (Photo by Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images).(Photo by Kay-Paris Fernandes/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 28: Guillermo del Toro (R) and his wife Lorenza Newton attend the 'Crimson Peak' Paris Premiere at UGC Cine Cite Bercy on Septemin Paris, France.
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