Pinot Noir, it's a family affair
They're bringing in the 2021 harvest right now at Newton Johnson - of course, that's the way things roll in the southern hemisphere. Of all the major countries in the wine-producing world, nowhere has come forward in such leaps and bounds over the last 25 years as South Africa; and in the vanguard of this quality revolution, you'll find Newton Johnson. They are garlanded with five star awards from Platter's, the South African wine guide, and invariably make it onto Tim Atkin's annual list of South African First Growths. So who are these guys?
Back in the 1980s, Dave Johnson became one of the Cape's first Masters of Wine. His love of Pinot Noir drew him to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, which - thanks to Hamilton Russell - was already becoming recognized as the best place in South Africa to cultivate Pinot Noir. Dave's first plan was to buy in grapes, but it was tough going - almost nobody in the valley wanted to sell. So he decided to grow his own. His sons Bevan and Gordon got on board, and in 1999 the family bought a neglected farm in the Upper Valley. They began testing soils and laying out vineyards of their own. Their first vintage from these vineyards was 2008, and that vintage also marked their first Platter's five star - clearly, they were on to something. Later they built a gravity-fed winery. This is very much a family venture; these days, Bevan handles the business side and Gordon and his wife Nadia do the winemaking.
Only 5km from the Atlantic Ocean, the upper Hemel-en-Aarde lies on granitic soils quite different from the shale soils further down the valley - the vineyards here lend themselves to a particularly refined style of Pinot Noir that has savoury, herbal depth as much as sweet red fruit and floral aromas. But the Newton Johnsons soon discovered that Pinot wasn't the only variety to excel here. Their Chardonnay is excellent, all orange zest and lemon butter. Granum is a Syrah-Mourvedre blend that loves the granitic soils, and bursts with blackberry and tapenade notes. Resonance is a lightly wooded Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend with a generous nettle and pink grapefruit character. Perhaps their biggest departure from convention has been importing Albarino to South Africa (and accidentally starting a trend). Dave had spotted the close similarities between the local Cape climate and the Galician seaboard - and he hankered for something to drink with the Cape seafood. Tim Atkin calls their lees-fermented, lemongrass and peach Albarino 'the best… produced anywhere outside Spain'. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available immediately
