Newton Johnson ‘Family Vineyards’ Chardonnay is the estates top white wine and is made from grapes sourced from three vineyard sites, all wildly varied in their exposure to the sun. It is a complex wine with peach, apple and ripe citrus fruit, lime zest and subtle spice notes. There is great underlying minerality and maritime, saline notes which perfectly balance with the wonderfully integrated toasty oak notes. Buttery and salty with weight and structure. Wonderful wine.
Newton Johnston was founded in the mid 1990’s and quickly established itself as one of South Africa’s most exciting producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The wines have a magical combination of Burgundian elegance and South African reliability and consistency – a wonderful combination. The farm was founded by Cape Wine Master Dave Johnson and his wife Felicity (Nee Newton) and is run today by their son, Gordon and his wife, Nadia. Dave’s other son, Beven takes care of the marketing. The vineyards are located in the upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, just outside the town of Hermanus. It’s a lush and fertile area, popular with tourists, but perfectly suited to high quality grape production. The combination of granite soils and cooling maritime winds is a wine makers dream.
