Newton Johnson Pinot Noir 2007

Winemaker's Notes:

Newton Johnson Vineyards is owned and managed by the Newton Johnson family. They are based near the seaside town of Hermanus, an hour and a half's drive out of Cape Town. This is a popular tourist destination, famous for some of the most spectacular land-based whale watching in the world and also known for its bracing 'champagne' air, lush indigenous 'fynbos' (literally 'fine bush,' a Plant Kingdom exclusive to the Cape), mountain walks and bike trails. Their farm lies a close six kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean in the scenic Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, a bit of "heaven on earth" as the name implies. This cool climate appellation is recognised as home to some of the Cape's finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Dave, a Cape Wine Master, has over 30 years' experience in the South African wine industry. He is ably assisted by his equally wine and food-focused wife, Felicity Newton. Her sons are Gordon and Bevan. Gordon, the winemaker, crafts the wines to translate the message of the soils into the wine. Bevan is the managing director and in charge of the marketing. His creative wife Ezanne is a freelance graphic artist with experience in the wine industry, and she adds flair to the promotional material. Come harvest time, you'll find the whole family working together in the cellar. The Pinot Noir expresses a range of flavours from vibrant cherry, raspberry, black currants, liquorice, cinnamon stick, as some of the primary indicators. Each parcel is vinified and matured separately to respect and enhance its expression, and synergistically combined in to the final blend. We respect the power and elegance that Pinot Noir expresses so well through the soil and climate. 45% of the blend was naturally fermented, progressively showing more definitive characters in the wine. A supple and integrated tannin structure is the result of respect for the extraction of the skins and slower, cooler fermentations