Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay 2022 13% 750ml

Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay 2022 13% 750ml

Southend’s vineyards lie in the shadow of the Babylonstoring Mountains in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and is owned and farmed by our neighbours, the Pringle family. It is a notably cooler slope, a stone’s throw across the river from us, with less sun exposure and consequently slower ripening. It produces wines with sparkling clarity, high-toned fruit flavours, compact structure, and vibrant acidity. We preserve these features by fermenting in larger format casks that often ferment slowly into the winter and finish in the spring. This parcel takes a steely and light-footed point of difference from the other Chardonnay vineyards of our appellation.

TASTING NOTES
A wine with energy and intensity. The high-toned, rapier-like lime fruit is buoyed with sharp ginger, white pepper and flint. Crushed stones and saltiness sustain the refreshing appeal. Good weight of flavour in the mid palate boosted with bright acidity and grippy texture.

Maturation & Bottling
Matured for 11 months in mostly puncheon (500L) and some barrique (228L) barrels produced in Burgundy, with 31% of the total volume matured in stainless steel. Tighter grained oak is preferred for subtle flavour, with longer seasoning and slower, lower temperature toasting.
New oak comprises 11% of the final blend. The wine was blended and kept for further élevage of 5 months in stainless steel. No fining, coarse filtration and sulphur adjustment before bottling.