Newton Johnson - 'Family Vineyards Granum' Syrah/Mourvedre 2014/16

Newton Johnson - 'Family Vineyards Granum' Syrah/Mourvedre 2014/16

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Description

TASTING NOTES

Glowing and luxuriant. Sophisticated black and red fruits mark the superabundance of this epic red vintage. Graphite, fennel seed, warm spice and freshly turned earth render finer detail. Intricate tannin structure, fine and powdery to assertive grip, restrain the rich flavour in to a long and savoury finish.

The foremost feature of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation is the outcrop of weathered Granite soil that is exclusive in the Cape South Coast. This iron rich granite is found in diverse size and texture due to the various stages of cooling when the magma formed this parent rock. GRANUM is grown exclusively on sites of higher density plantings and Echalas–trained (vine trained on its own wooden stake) vines of Syrah and Mourvèdre. The most rugged of these are found at the very bottom of the Newton Johnson farm. Granite soil is known to bear fresh, precise and aromatic wines and is a perfect match for these varieties. After a few years in the pipeline, we took the decision to release the first edition of this estate red from the very worthy 2012 vintage. It carries our own typical approach of soft handling in the cellar and a generous use of whole bunches and stems to mark definition and length. 

--------THE PRODUCER--------

Newton Johnson

Newton Johnson Vineyards is owned and managed by the Newton Johnson family. The farm is based in the upper Hemel en Aarde Valley 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 lush indigenous fynbos, a floral kingdom, home to 1500 species and exclusive to the Cape, mountain walks and bike trails.

Led by Dave, a Cape Wine Master with a thesis on Pinot Noir, and his wife, Felicity (nee Newton), the Newton Johnson family moved to the Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley in 1995, built a cellar and started planting vines shortly thereafter. This enthusiasm for wine and Pinot noir in particular, was passed on to and eagerly adopted by his sons, Bevan and Gordon. They in turn have taken this family cellar and vineyards to new heights in exploring the nuances of this grape and their vineyards.

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has seen an explosion of quality Pinot Noir over the last decade, and we believe it to be capable of producing wines of world renowned authenticity. Our focus is ever more on perfecting techniques in the vineyard and cellar that resonate the best of our conditions. The sloped vineyards face the southern winds of the cold Atlantic which couple freshness with the linearity and florals produced in the wines by our granite soils. It is a discovery of this translation from our farm that encourages us to make wines free from the distortion of modern convention and convenience, wines with purity of flavour and natural expression.

 

--------THE GRAPE--------

Rhone Red Blend

The Rhone Red Blend is often known as the GSM blend whereby the three main grapes are Grenache, Syrah and Mouvèdre. In actuality there can be up to 13 grapes made into this blend, by law, in the southern Rhone Valley. You can have lighter and more floral versions of the Rhone Red Blend or have bolder and oakier versions depending where in the world it is made. They are most popular in France, California and Australia.

 

--------THE REGION--------

The Heaven and Earth Valley

Our vineyards lie in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation which lies at an altitude of 150-300m in the sole emergence of igneous granite in the Southern Cape. It is described as porphyritic, having cooled in stages to distinct sizes of crystals, and decomposed further in to the soil structure. Clays formed lower down that buffer the vines from temperature change and dehydration. We believe that granite provides the linear and perfumed characters in our wines.