# Southend Chardonnay (2022)

- **Producer:** Newton Johnson Vineyards
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Western Cape, South Africa
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €21
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–13 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, apple, peach, flint, ginger, vanilla, biscuit, nutmeg

## About this wine

The Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay is a single-vineyard wine from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, a region known for its cool climate and decomposed granite soils. The vineyard is situated on a cooler slope, influenced by the shadow of the Babylonstoring Mountains, which promotes slower ripening. This characteristic contributes to the wine's clarity and acidity. The Newton Johnson family established their vineyard in the mid-1990s, and the current generation, led by brothers Bevan and Gordon, continues to focus on expressing the unique terroir of their estate and neighboring sites through their winemaking.

## Interesting facts

- Vineyard sits in the shadow of the Babylonstoring Mountains.
- Uses wild yeast for fermentation.
- Aged in both barriques and puncheons.
- Single-vineyard expression from a neighbor's land.

## Food pairing

The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through the richness of creamy sauces and fattier proteins, while its subtle fruit notes complement lighter seafood and poultry. The minerality can echo the salinity of shellfish.

## Wine making process

The Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay is produced using 100% Chardonnay grapes. Fermentation is carried out with wild yeast in specially made, less heavily toasted oak barrels from Burgundy, utilizing larger format casks. The fermentation process can be slow, extending into winter. Following fermentation, the wine undergoes aging for 11 months in a mix of 228L barriques and 500L puncheons, with approximately 22% new oak. It is then further aged for an additional 5 months in stainless steel before bottling.