Napa’s Newton Vineyard Is Reborn
Newton Vineyards is not dead yet. Since 2001, the Napa Valley winery has been through a change in ownership, a devastating fire that destroyed its Spring Mountain winery and an announcement from its owners at Moët Hennessey, the wine and spirits arm of LVMH, that it was shutting down for good. Now friends Nick Livanos and Eric Bryan Seuthe have purchased Newton, including 487 acres and the brand, which they plan to revive. No purchase price was disclosed.
“We are really excited about what we are going to be doing with this property,” said Seuthe, an attorney who specializes in civil litigation and trials. “We are not venture capitalists, we are just people who love Napa Valley, Napa Valley wines, and seized on the opportunity to purchase such a storied and beautiful property.” Seuthe splits his time between west Los Angeles and Napa, where he owns a vineyard and home on Mt. Veeder.
Seuthe and his wife, Brenda, met their partners in this venture, Nick Livanos and his wife, Patti, at a wine club event for Davies Vineyards in Napa about five years ago and became friends. Eventually, as Livanos explains it, after enjoying some wine together, they first started talking about purchasing a vineyard together.
Livanos works as a principal for Renkert Oil, a company that produces specialty lubricants and oils. “One [business] is a refinery, now the other is a winery,” he explained with a laugh. He splits his time between San Ramon in northern California and St. Helena.
In a statement, a spokesman for Moët Hennessey said, “We are confident that the new owners will bring renewed energy to the estate and continue to care for the land and its legacy with respect and dedication. We remain grateful for the many years of support and for the community that has grown around Newton.”
Newton could generously be described as a beautiful fixer-upper. “That’s how you start in real estate, maybe that’s how you start in wine,” said Livanos, adding that the state of Newton made it affordable to the partners. There were 68 acres under vines at the time of the 2020 fires, but only five acres endured. The winery was destroyed, but thankfully the caves survived. There are also ponds and irrigation in place.
Before closing Newton, LVMH had started replanting vineyards on the property—25 acres of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, with Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The new owners plan to continue replanting. Even more ambitiously, they plan to make Newton wines again, beginning with the 2025 vintage. Winemaker Caryn Harrison will be at the helm, and the wines will be made offsite for now.
The History of Newton Vineyard
Peter Newton was an English journalist, lawyer and paper magnate who became an important figure in Napa. Before founding his namesake winery, he founded Napa’s Sterling Vineyards in 1964. In 1977, Newton sold Sterling to Coca-Cola (the winery is now part of Treasury Wine Estates) and started another venture with his then-wife, Su Hua: Newton Vineyard, hidden in the base of Spring Mountain. It was known for distinctive wines, meticulous English gardens including juniper trees trimmed like corkscrews, an underground cave and pagoda-topped winery. There are stunning mountaintop views, with much of the 560-acre property hidden by a rugged forest.
Newton made ageworthy Cabernets and a claret-style bottling. But the winery became best known for the iconic Unfiltered Chardonnay. In the 1990s, the distinctively rich and bold white wine, barrel-aged and fermented with native yeasts, stood out for its quality, becoming a benchmark for Chardonnays.
The list of winemaking alumni at Newton is impressive. John Kongsgaard is credited with developing the famed Chardonnay program. Michel Rolland, Ric Forman, Aaron Pott, Andy Erickson and Jean Hoefliger, Blair Walter of New Zealand’s Felton Road, Australia’s Rob Mann and Bordeaux specialist Stephen Carrier all worked in the cellar over the years.
French luxury goods company LVMH acquired a majority stake in 2001. Peter Newton died in 2008 at 81, and his family retained 70 acres for themselves. By 2020, LVMH had invested $10 million to renovate the winery and convert the vineyards to certified organic farming. At that point the estate had 68 acres of vines divided into 70 different blocks, most of it planted on steep hillsides in elevation ranging from 500 to 1,600 feet, primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery also owned estate vineyards in Mt. Veeder, Yountville and Carneros. (These were not included in the recent sale.)
The future looked bright for Newton, until the Glass Fire of 2020 tore through the property, burning the winery and gardens, leaving only 5 acres of vines remaining. At first, the staff announced plans to bring the property back to life. A temporary tasting room in Calistoga became a new place to welcome guests, and wines were made from the other estate vineyards. But in early 2025, Newton quietly announced in a statement to its wine club members that the winery was permanently closing.
Realizing a Dream
The new owners are excited to bring the important property back to live. “We’re just really excited that LVMH gave us this opportunity,” said Seuthe. “We’re just little guys. We can’t tell you how much we love wine.”
“Eighty percent of success is showing up,” said Livanos. He adds that over the years he and his wife felt like they missed the windows of opportunity to get into the wine business. But now the timing is right. “If you have a dream, don’t stop dreaming. You never know. ”
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