Newton Johnson Family Vineyards

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

When Dave and Felicity (neé Newton) Johnson first moved to Hemel-en-Aarde in 1995, the valley (off False Bay, South Africa) must have felt like a wilderness at the end of the world.  There were just two wine producers who preceded them, but they were in the lower part of the valley, nearer the then tiny seaside town of Hermanus. The farm Dave and Felicity purchased was further up the valley, an area that, in living memory, had never been planted to vineyards.

The focus was always going to be Pinot Noir: Dave had written a thesis on the grape, and the suitability of the region for Pinot Noir had been demonstrated by the early success of Hamilton Russell Vineyards. Chardonnay, naturally, went hand-in-hand, and from their first vintage in 2008 it quickly became clear that these grape varieties were very well suited to the granite soils in this part of the valley. Their sons, Gordon and Bevan, now manage the estate - Gordon and his wife Nadia in the vineyards and the winery, and Bevan on the commercial side. Their success has seen them joined by many other winegrowers over the years, and today the valley is a patchwork of vineyards beneath steep, dark mountain slopes.

Their Family Vineyard wines are blended from across their estate vineyards, intended to convey the overall character of the property. The Chardonnay is a blend of three sites, one from the original, north-facing plantings and two cooler south-facing sites, more recent plantings, which add greater finesse to the wine. 2023 was a cool season, with unseasonal rain around harvest time; the Chardonnay, harvested before the rain set in, conveys the energy of the vintage. Their Pinot Noir is sourced from four plots, one (Sandford) on the south-facing side of the valley, the rest on the north-facing slopes. 2024 began with a colossal storm which flooded the Onrust River which runs through the bottom of the valley, but it resolved into a warmer vintage than 2023, with lower yields but superb depth and intensity. /JH

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available imminently. To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998