Newton Johnson, Family Vineyards Chardonnay, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Last bottle of this vintage and part two of our Newton Johnson wine weekend (finished off the 2016 Pinot the night before). The colour of burnished yellow gold suggested full maturity but the palate revealed that this wine has not quite yet faded. There is certainly a mature feel with depth hinting at butterscotch and double cream heaviness but the wine is still vibrant. Do drink up.

2016 vintage

A recent purchase so this was a little risky as the acidity is low, as anticipated but enough to balance the fruit that shows some richness. A relaxed style of Chardonnay caught near the end of its best days.

2015 vintage

Another very good bottle from this consistent winery. Nicely balanced in its maturity with a tad of elegance. Mid-pale in colour and fairly quiet on the nose, maybe just a hint of butterscotch amidst the citrus. Not the longest finish but made for a very pleasant 12th July holiday wine.

2016 vintage

No sign of anything more than having reached a mature plateau, this was drinking very nicely and especially well with wifey’s chicken and porcini mushroom risotto. The colour was pale greenish yellow and the nose suggested a degree of maturity but on the palate this was a lovely mix of butter with hints of oak and spice.

2016 vintage

Still got some life in this, my last bottle, now moving on to later vintages. No doubt that this is a very decent Chardonnay but I would not quite put it in the premier league of SA Chardonnay.

2015 vintage

Richer but still nicely balanced, this is ageing very well

2015 vintage

An interesting, 'new wave' style of chardonnay, easy on the oak notes, and with stonefruits, flint and nougat and a hint of butterscotch on the medium bodied palate. The healthy acidity gives the wine more intensity than the fruit delivers. This wine is more about elegance and balance than power (A-).

2015 vintage

Pale gold. Biscuit, pastry nose. Tropical fruits, honey, vanilla palate. Well balanced, long finish. Very good wine.

2015 vintage

Consistent with my previous note. This is a good quality wine.

2015 vintage

Jolly nice SA Chardonnay, maybe not quite in the premier league thereof but a good value wine.

2015 vintage

South Africa Trip October 2018; 10/3/2018-10/12/2018 (Western Cape, South Africa) : Estate fruit from a north facing vineyard, 30% new oak for 11 months, 13% light gold colour, a richer and deeper nose than the southend, some cream and cashew, quite ripe orchard fruits but a much more detailed wine than the previous and a good finish

2016 vintage

South African wine tour - Day six (Hemel en Aarde Valley) : Toast, rich, butter, oaky, the fruit is riper and more tropical pineapple, tinned peaches, sweet spice. Pleasingly fleshy, a little buttery and, well, blousy. Touches of vanilla, cream as well. Call me a tart but I like this.

2016 vintage

As Gannet 2013 wrote in his note of a year ago " Elegant, cool-climate style. Great value at around £20 as a villages level burg alternative". Really very well done

2015 vintage

Terroir-istes Local - Chardonnay, Hemel en Aarde (Vredehoek) : (Tasted Blind): Light yellow. Pronounced nose with vanilla, rum and raisin ice cream, orange blossom and some minerals going towards lightly crushed nuts. A juicy entry, the wine displays more elegance, although the mid-palate is flatter with less depth or the concentration I expected. It veers more to a candy sweetness that, in turn, feels mouth-coating, giving a porridge-like texture. The finish feels jagged, with an acid burst creating a sharpness …

2015 vintage

Really beautiful golden colour to this wine. Also quite an aromatic wine with primary aromas like honeysuckle, grapes, pineapple, mint, lime, apple and mango. Secondary shows some oak with brioche, bread, vanilla, smoke and charred wood. And even Tertiary aromas of ginger, honeysuckle, toast and cinnamon. Very well god ageing too with medium + acidity, medium + body and a long finish.

2016 vintage

Lovely balance of crisp chardonnay fruit and fine, grippy oak - classy, a bit of a wow.

2015 vintage

Gul färg, klar Tropisk frukt, lite citruszest, tydligt ekad, smörigt Pigg syra, runt och fylligt, smörigt, mycket bra längd Ännu en bra CH från SA.

2015 vintage

Elegant, cool-climate style. Great value at around £20 as a villages level burg alternative

2015 vintage

Pale lemon colour. The nose displays pronounced intensity aromas of vanilla, walnut, lemon peel and fresh peaches. It is dry in the mouth with a medium acidity. It has a medium alcohol and a medium+ body. It has pronounced intensity flavours and a long finish. It is a very good quality wine. It has very concentrated flavours and a long finish. The alcohol is in balance with the acidity, and the nose shows some complexity provided by oak ageing, albeit …

2015 vintage

Celebration of Chardonnay (De Wetshof, Robertson) : (Tasted Blind) Light to medium yellow in colour. The nose has lemons and white peach interlaced with oatmeal and spicy oak with a touch of Gala apple adding a Bircher muesli component. Complex with a lovely zesty texture, the bone dry palate combines lemony fruits, adding a juicy acidity with some lighter tropical notes imbuing some complexity. Along with oatmeal are crushed almonds and hazelnuts, all adding up to a persistent length, fabulous …

2015 vintage

Atkin Chardonnay Comparative tasting (Lismore) : (Tasted Blind): Mid yellow in colour, the wine exudes aromas of Meyer lemon, waxed lemon, Gala apple, and a smear of vanilla. The palate entry is all lemon curd, lemon oil, lemon zest, and all things lemon!! It has verve and dynamism, displaying fabulous poise and intensity. I thought Victoria in Aus or possibly SA. Very pure fruit flavour, bone dry; it is fuller than anticipated with remarkable intensity and a lovely length. Classy …

2015 vintage

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Newton Johnson, Family Vineyards Chardonnay, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

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