Newton Vineyard Winemaker Chris Millard to Lead Ten Year Winemaking and Estate Evolution

NAPA, Calif., Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Winemaker Chris Millard, current head of the winemaking program at Newton Vineyard, has launched a ten year plan of upgrades to the winery.  Millard joined Newton Vineyard in 2008 taking on full responsibilities of the winemaking program. The 2008 release of Newton's icon wine, The Puzzle, marks Millard's first vintage with the winery from harvest to bottling. 

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Newton Vineyard was established by Peter and Su Hua Newton in 1977.  With founding Winemaker Dr. Su Hua Newton now concentrating exclusively on independent personal and charitable endeavors, Millard's expanded responsibilities include acting as principal brand representative in the United States and abroad.

Millard's completed succession comes in tandem with the announcement of the extensive redevelopment plan to be achieved by 2020. Over the next decade, Newton Vineyard seeks to reinvigorate its position as a leading aspirational Napa Valley winery while emphasizing its ultra-premium tier wines through:

• Capital investments  including a progressive replanting of its Estate Spring Mountain Vineyard
• Major renovations to the site's existing buildings with Gould Evans Baum Thornley selected as design architect
• Vineyard improvements and winery renovations designed to facilitate the continued quality evolution of the portfolio
• Review and enhancement of its long standing commitment to environmental sustainability with a focus on water conservation and reuse
• Expanded production of its ultra-premium tier wines and innovations in the wine program including the introduction of new varietals and technology such as the use of an optical grape sorter

Newton Vineyard's recent progress has been recognized by Impact¸ a leading resource for wine and spirits executives published by M. Shanken Communications, Inc.  Impact named Newton Vineyard a Domestic Wine Hot Prospect in its October 2011 issue.  Impact's "Hot Prospects" rank the U.S. markets most promising wine and spirits brands and winners are recognized for significant growth over successive years.

While Su Hua will no longer be acting as the primary ambassador for Newton Vineyard, her contribution, which spanned close to four decades, will remain a dynamic thread in the winery's narrative.  As current vintner, Millard follows in the tradition of Newton: maintaining the unfiltered process as a point of excellence in the winemaking style.   He also continues to feature the most distinctive fruit from the Estate's Spring Mountain vineyard.  The Puzzle presents Millard with the opportunity to showcase his expertise with the winery's signature red blend, which uses hand selected fruit from 112 separate vineyard blocks of Bordeaux varietals. 

Prior to his current role, Millard held formative posts as Winemaker at Sterling Vineyard and as Assistant Winemaker at Bernardus where he was mentored in Bordeaux varietals and Old World winemaking style by the influential Don Blackburn.  Millard, an avid road bicyclist, as a teen traveled to Europe in pursuit of the sport.  It was there he discovered European wines and developed his passion for winemaking.  He returned to the states and soon after began studies in Enology. 

About Newton Vineyard:
An early pioneer of Spring Mountain founded in 1977, Newton Vineyard is the unfiltered expression of Napa Valley where wines are made in the purist tradition utilizing indigenous yeast fermentation. Newton's terraced mountain estate has 120 acres and 112 distinctive vineyard blocks.  Newton Vineyard's stunning estate which Robert Parker has called one of the most gorgeous in California, with its Asian and British details including traditional parterre garden, first received visitors to its tasting room by appointment only.  In 2006, the tasting room expanded its schedule to offer tours twice a day a, six days a week.  Newton is a proud supporter of Global Green and was most recently recognized as a Napa Green winery. 

SOURCE Newton Vineyard