Family-owned Upper Hemel-en-Aarde estate making Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Albariño.
The producer
Newton Johnson Vineyards is a family-owned and family-managed estate in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. Dave Johnson and Felicity Newton founded it in 1995, and the family bought the present farm as virgin land in 2001. Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson make the wines, while Bevan manages the commercial side. The range includes Walker Bay Pinot Noir, Southend Chardonnay, Family Vineyards Chardonnay and Albariño. Its 2014 vintage was South Africa's first commercially produced Albariño.
Known for
Granite site Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Notable facts
Dave Johnson and Felicity Newton founded Newton Johnson in 1995.
The family bought the present farm as virgin land in 2001.
Newton Johnson began working with its own fruit in 2009.
The 2014 vintage was South Africa's first commercially produced Albariño.
The story
Ten Albariño Cuttings
The Albariño project began with ten cuttings sourced from UC Davis. Newton Johnson planted the material, and the vineyard eventually reached a quarter hectare with 800 vines. In 2014, the estate released South Africa's first commercially produced Albariño from that project. Newton Johnson Albariño is now a 2023 white wine named for the grape. The current family range of wines also includes Walker Bay Pinot Noir and two Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Chardonnays.
Ten Albariño Cuttings
The Albariño project began with ten cuttings sourced from UC Davis. Newton Johnson planted the material, and the vineyard eventually reached a quarter hectare with 800 vines. In 2014, the estate released South Africa's first commercially produced Albariño from that project. Newton Johnson Albariño is now a 2023 white wine named for the grape. The current family range of wines also includes Walker Bay Pinot Noir and two Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Chardonnays.
From the atlas
Newton Johnson Vineyards
Family-owned estate in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus, with Atlantic-facing vineyards on igneous granite and wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Albariño.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Place
Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus
Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Albariño
Wines
Walker Bay Pinot Noir, Southend Chardonnay, Albariño and Family Vineyards Chardonnay
Defining feature
Family management, granite vineyards and gentle cellar work
The Producer
Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson are the husband and wife winemaking team at this family-owned and family-managed estate. They have over 30 vintages between them. Gordon took charge of winemaking in 1999 after completing an economics degree and largely teaching himself wine. Nadia studied Oenology and Viticulture at Stellenbosch, spent two years in Constantia, then joined Newton Johnson as winemaker. Bevan Newton Johnson manages the commercial side of the farm.
Dave Johnson and Felicity Newton founded Newton Johnson in 1995. The first vintage was released in 1997 from purchased fruit. The family bought the present farm as virgin land in 2001 and began working with its own fruit in 2009. The cellar approach is gentle, tailored to each vineyard and made without commercial additives. The family has also committed to limiting its impact, increasing biodiversity and maintaining the farm's vitality.
Place
Atlantic-facing vineyards rise into the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, near the seaside town of Hermanus. The winery lies nine kilometres along the R320 from Hermanus, high on a mountainside in the valley.
The vineyards lie at 150 to 300 metres altitude on the Southern Cape's sole emergence of igneous granite. Annual rainfall is about 850 millimetres, concentrated in winter and spring, so the vines require little or no irrigation.
Wines
The range contains one red wine and three white wines. The 2024 Newton Johnson Walker Bay Pinot Noir is a red wine from Cape South Coast. Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay is a 2024 white Chardonnay from Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, while Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay is another 2024 white Chardonnay from the same appellation. Newton Johnson Albariño is a 2023 white wine named for the variety.
The Walker Bay Pinot Noir has fine chalky tannins. The two Chardonnay wines keep Chardonnay at the centre of the white range, while Albariño introduces a different grape variety and continues the estate's work with the grape that received South Africa's first commercially produced release from Newton Johnson in 2014.
In The Glass
The 2024 Newton Johnson Walker Bay Pinot Noir has perfumed layers of red fruit, with warm, rich spice and woody notes mingling with earthy mushroom and dried flower characters. Raspberry gives flesh to the middle of the palate, and savoury liquorice runs through the long finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay 2024. It is a white Chardonnay from Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with a neutral, slightly steely nose scented with lemon and freshly cut green apple. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with a fine bead of acidity and discreet oak. The label joins one grape, Chardonnay, to one valley appellation, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
Final Word
Newton Johnson Vineyards is a family-owned and family-managed estate in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Albariño in the range. Its 2014 vintage was South Africa's first commercially produced Albariño.