Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2021

Newton Johnson Vineyards is owned and managed by the Newton Johnson family. Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson are the husband-and-wife winemaking team with experience of over 30 vintages between them. Their vineyards are located in the upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation which lies at an altitude of 150 to 300 metres in the sole emergence of igneous granite in the Southern Cape which is described as porphyritic, having cooled in stages to distinct sizes of crystal, and decomposed further into the soil structure. Lower down, clays formed help protect the vines from temperature change and dehydration. It is believed that the granite provides the linear and perfumed characters of Newton Johnson wines.

The Family Vineyards Chardonnay uses fruit from three vineyard sites on the farm, widely varied in their exposure to the sun. The south facing Chardonnay vineyards produce edgy and agile wines with ‘nervy acidity’, while the north facing slopes produce more lustrous wines, delivering weight without being heavy and layering the structure. A natural approach in the winemaking ensured a complex array of characters in this wine.