New winemaker at Napa Valley’s Newton Vineyard has Sonoma County roots

Andrew Holve is the new head of winemaking at Newton Vineyard in St. Helena.

The Napa Valley-based winery stated that in six years in working at Newton, Holve has worked with two head winemakers.

“We are proud to promote Andrew to this role,” stated winery General Manager Jean-Baptiste Rivail. “This will be his seventh vintage with Newton. He has been a key member of our winemaking team since 2015 and completely understands what our mountain vineyards can express.”

Holve has previously worked at MacRostie Winery in Healdsburg and California icon Ridge Vineyards, also in Healdsburg, as well as internationally at New Zealand’s Church Road Winery and Cloudy Bay, the winery stated.

He holds a master’s degree in viticulture and enology from at UC Davis and is a native of Sebastopol in Sonoma County.

“I’m Californian, I grew up around these mountains. I want to showcase the distinctiveness of our mountain terroir, which delivers a lively balance of bright freshness and ripe Napa fruit. Ultimately the environment shapes these wines, and I nurture and allow them time to make a wine that spotlights and stands true to the Napa Valley,” he stated.

Newton Vineyard was founded in 1977 by English businessman Peter Newton. It is now owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

The property suffered extensive damage in late September during the Glass Fire, but the stored wine wasn’t affected.