.: A taste of Newton Johnson

There are so many excellent wine farms in the beautiful Hemel and Aarde valley,
but one we always try to visit is Newton Johnson
Why? Because they produce beautiful, elegant wine, wine we love, wine we want to buy and drink
And they happen to be a really friendly and welcoming lot!

So, as we were staying in the area and had some late afternoon time, we had to visit

Lisa Renzenbrink has managed the tasting room for many years and is an old friend. She told us about how they have coped over the past two years, the changes at the farm, the change of the restaurant chef, and the new area outside that is going to be an extension of the restaurant; a good idea indeed now that tables need to be spaced well apart and people do prefer to eat outside in the summer. Bevan Newton Johnson does the marketing and the excellent wine is made by Gordon Newton Johnson and his wife Nadia. We were lucky enough to see Gordon briefly on our way out. They win many awards and high scores for their wines. And Gordon has just been elected Chair of the Cape Wine Makers Guild

We began our tasting with the 2020 Southend Chardonnay which has a faint hint of wood smoke on the rich nose,

ripe fruit on the palate and layers and layers of lime and lemon delight. It is so well made and so drinkable

The 2020 Family Vineyards Chardonnay is from the vineyards in front of the main building
Smoky bacon, herbs, and buchu hints on the classic golden nose
It spends 11 months in French oak. White nectarine, peach and lime on the palate with fullness, length
and good wood to round it off. It is undoubtedly a good food wine

Of all the good Pinot Noirs in our winelands, these stand out as being, in our humble opinion, the best

We know they age well and they drink beautifully

The Walker Bay 2020 Pinot Noir has soft perfume, spice and cherry and is so recognisably from this terroir
On the palate, lovely fruit with layers of plum, cherry, raspberry and mulberry, with long flavours
and a hint of salty minerality on the end. Wood is there, supporting but not intruding

The Family Vineyards 2020 Pinot Noir is playful on the nose, tempting
There is a hint of wood smoke with enticing raspberry & cherry aromas
Freshness of cherry fruit on the palate, with salty licorice wood, complexity and depth, another quality, well made wine

Time for another favourite, which we have often bought and cellared and which, we can report, ages very, very well

Full Stop Rock 2019 does indeed rock. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, it’s Spicy!
Dark berries, cherry and mulberry in spades on the palate, pepper and some licorice.
Drinking so well now, it is fresh and cheeky, but give it some age and wait for more excitement
We are currently enjoying the 2012

Granum 2016 is more serious. It is grown on granite soil, at the very bottom of the farm
and matured in French 500 litre barrels, only a small amount in new. A blend of 75% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre
Perfume on the dark berry fruit nose with some spice, it is quite sophisticated
You know from the nose that it is going to be good. On the palate, you find soft chalky tannins, concentrated cassis,
black cherry and mulberry flavours and good wood, pulling all its components together in one mouthful
Another perfect wine for food - complex sauces, duck and game

A final wine to refresh our palates was the new, fresh 2021 Sauvignon Blanc. It has those classic fig leaf and green pepper pyrazines on the nose and is crisp and zingy with salty minerality and more fig and green pepper notes

As his Birthday present from Lynne, John was the recipient of three bottles of the Walker Bay Pinot Noir
and three bottles of Full Stop Rock. We look forward to drinking them together

This is the stunning view from the terrace at Newton Johnson, looking down over the vineyards and the fruitful valley
to the sea and the far mountains. It is so good to see the dams so full after the cold and wet winter,
which the vines love. Rain was coming in and we were in for a chilly night

This cottage at De Werf is owned by our friends, who kindly let us stay the night
It now sleeps six and, if you would like to stay there, they are on AirBnB