South End Chardonnay 2022

Newton Johnson, fact sheet (newtonjohnson.com – linket fra newtonjohnson.com, hentet 2026-10-18): 2022 Newton Johnson South End Chardonnay – område: Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley; druer: Chardonnay; alkohol 13.6%. Producentens noter (engelsk): Background: Southend’s vineyards lie in the shadow of the Babylonstoring Mountains in the Upper Hemel - en-Aarde Valley and is owned and farm ed 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 la rger 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. Location & climate: These vineyards lie on the south-facing slope at altitu des of 300m down to 210m, in the porphyritic Granite soils of the Upper Hemel -en-Aarde Valley. This appellation ranges from 4 to 8 km in proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is cool and temperate, where parallel mountain ranges channel the southerly oceangoing winds through the appellation during the summer. These southerly winds in turn create regular sea mists and overcast conditions, moderating the temperatures in the valley. The annual rainfall is 850mm, with 50% falling in the winter months (May – August). Vintage: Growing Season & Harvesting The growing season was preceded by a glorious Winter for vine dormancy. Abundant rain from May through to August and 45 chilling portions to a late budbreak in mid -September, ensured an even budbreak and good fertility in the vines. An exceptionally cool Spring produced late flowering from mid to late November, with a storm system causing some wind damage during flowering on 25 t h November. As December passed into January, the rain disappeared and the sun came out, producing a dry and warmer ripening period for the grapes. The drawn out growing season still culmin ated in an average ripening period of 107 days from flowering to harvest for both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Abundant yields were observed in all varieties and excellent health of the bunches from the drier conditions. The Chardonnay was harvested exceedingly late from 8 t h to 18 t h March. […]