The Buyer | Newfound Wines – connected to both the land and the universe

We all love to stumble across a winery previously unknown to us whose wines really hit the spot. It will invariably have been ‘found’ by others before you (in this case by Jeroboams' Martin Tickle) but nothing quite beats a personal discovery.

Happy to report I have just made one in the aptly-named Californian boutique winery, Newfound Wines, which is situated in the town of St Helena, 18 miles north of Napa. Winemaker Matt Naumann, and fellow co-owner, his wife Audra, flew into London in October to see Jeroboams, their UK importer, and made a big impression with the eight labels available for tasting.

Naumann does not make huge quantities of wine – the pair have just six acres of their own under vine although they do buy in some top quality fruit from select growers they admire. The Newfound range is so good that the advice is to snap it up while you can, whether on/off-trade or private client.

Jeroboams gets small allocations of each wine, although Naumann revealed that the 2022 vintage of its Gravels Red label is its single largest bottling at 690 cases, and “that there's plenty of room within our inventory to offer more to the UK.”

The fruit for the just-released Newfound Gravels Red, California 2022 (65% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 10% Mourvedre) comes from the Mendocino and Napa counties (qualifying it for North Coast AVA), but labelled under the broad California AVA. That way, producers can over-perform for the price which, at £33.95 RRP, is very good value for the quality. Seductive red fruit, herbal and spicy notes along with vibrant freshness and silky tannins combine to give this intensely aromatic, medium-bodied wine beautiful balance (14.1% abv). It has notable length too.

“This is our ‘village’ wine that we want to over-deliver,” Naumann declared. “It’s about the sum of all the parts. Most of the Grenache is from the Cemetery Vineyard, which has young dry-farmed bush vines – you don't see that very often in California. They were planted in an 18-inch layer of gravel, all run-off deposits from the coastal range. Carignan plays an important role in this, although it’s not in the blend every year, as it gives a bit of spine. It’s aged in 68-hectolitre casks mainly.” The excellent single varietal Benchland Carignan from vines planted in Mendocino County 1942 was aged in concrete.

Audra Naumann, who handles marketing, PR and sales, revealed that the Gravels blend has already sold very well in the UK, with an even split between the channels, but Jeroboams’ Marloes Klijnsmit professed the company is keen to sell more to the on-trade. And it is the sort of wine that should have widespread appeal to restaurants, bars and clubs alike.

In contrast to the young Grenache Gravels vines, the 2022 Newfound Chenin Blanc, Henry's Vineyard, Napa Valley comes from vines dating back to 1942 at the base of Howell Mountain. The three acres there are among only seven planted to Chenin Blanc in the whole of Napa County. Texture, intensity and glorious freshness were hallmarks of this superb expression of the varietal.

Equally impressive was the 2022 Newfound Chardonnay, Placida Vineyard, Sonoma Coast. From very low-yielding vines (1.5 tons per acre) grafted over to Chardonnay in 2019 by grower Chuy Ordaz just outside the town of Graton, this underwent neither malolactictic fermentation nor filtration. Interestingly, like the Chenin Blanc, it saw fermentation and elevage in 100% new oak (500-litre puncheons or 600l demi-muides). The oak has been immaculately judged.

“The Chardonnay came from the southern part of the Russian River Valley, which is much more interesting,” Naumann said. “In a cooler part right by a cold pocket called Green Valley. Chardonnay does very well there, holding onto its acidity well even in a hotter year like ’22 when its pH was 3.35. In both ’21 and ’23, the pH was 3.09.”

The width of the diurnal range on the Naumanns’ own property – Hill View in the Sierra Foothills at 2100 feet – means that acid retention is not an issue for its Grenache vines there. A cooling coastal breeze off the Pacific is also beneficial. When the couple bought the ranch in 2106, the neglected vines were grubbed up, with the replanted ones farmed organically in line with their nature-led philosophy.

“We view farming as a connection not just to the land but to the universe, respecting that nature is in control and understanding that our role is simply to listen and react,” Naumann declared. “We endeavour to take an individualistic approach and raise authentic wines that contain a naturally rugged edge and, most importantly, capture the voice of our vineyards.”

The Grenache planted at Hill View and Shake Ridge Vineyards on what are ideal soils for the varietal – 100% decomposed granite – certainly does ‘capture the voice of the vineyards’. Any rugged edge only added to its complexity, with its tannins tactile yet polished. With no new oak (only third fill or older) employed for any of the reds, all of them spoke of their terroir, with a mineral character evident from the Grenache and Syrah. “That’s such a thumbprint of the wines,” Naumann mused. “So much clarity and transparency.”

Thanks to the fact that Naumann is, as he puts it, “very conservative and moderate with sugar levels at picking,” the six reds tasted were all between 12.5% and 14.1% abv. “All my reds are whole-bunch pressed,” he revealed. “Adding whole makes sense as we’re not trying to make overly fruit-driven wines. I like the savoury side stylistically – it lifts aromatics. I don’t do punchdowns, just pumpovers with the Mourvèdre. Wild yeasts for both white and red fermentation.”

While Newfound’s annual production is low - between 3-5,000 bottles - exports to Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the UK are valued.

“We’re thoughtful where we're positioning ourselves in the world,” Audra said. “About 40% exports diversifies your risk. The New York market is pretty challenged right now, as is California with consumption down thanks to a challenging economy, high interest rates and more attention to health. The ethos of our brands resonates more with the next generation wine drinker.”

Matt added: “Regarding our production, the volumes have increased over the years and continue to do so. While the vineyard designates tend to be limited in supply, additional quantities are also available from each of the Placida Mourvèdre & Grenache bottlings tasted. Unfortunately, the Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay were quite scarce from the 2022 vintage, so whatever Jeroboams has on hand would be it for the time being. However, we expect more will be available with the next vintage release (2023) in the early part of 2025.

The UK is an important part of our sales strategy as we look to continue to develop our presence. We absolutely love the professionalism within the wine community and feel that our style is well suited for the market.”

Meanwhile, visitors to St Helena will now find a cellar door that the Naumanns started in 2022. “We’re doing as we hoped,” Audra said. “The Grenache gets snapped up as the maximum we make of anything is 120 cases bar the Gravels. With quite affordable price tags, people ask ‘why aren't your wines more money?’ But we don't want to go down that route…we want to make fine wines that are priced fairly. We want you the drinker to be really happy.”

Having tasted the wines, that should be a given.

The wines available through Jeroboams