Winemaker: Mark Newton

Mark, a mechanical and nuclear engineer by training, began his wine making career listening to a French Cabaret singer with his Father at the Domain Chandon winery in the winter of 1983. He still is not sure if it was the wine or the women, but following that day, he decided to go into the wine business.

After taking a short course in sparkling wine making at UC Davis and spending countless hours in some of the finer sparkling wine cellars in California, Mark set the course to produce a traditional Champagne-style wine produced from Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first bonded wine was produced in 1984 under the label of Newton & Newton. Great reviews of the 1984 and 1985 wines also produced a law suit from the Newton winery in Napa. Settlement was agreed and the winery changed the name to Whittlesey Mark sparking wine. Sparkling wines were made up through 1990, when the winery shifted its focus to red and white Bordeaux style wines.

Annual Production: 10,000 cases

Grape Varieties Planted

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Petit Verdot
• Malbec
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Syrah / Shiraz
• Viognier
• Semillon
• Grenache