Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson are the husband-and-wife winemaking team with the experience of over 30 harvests between them. Both graduates from the University of Stellenbosch, Gordon took over the winemaking reins at Newton Johnson in 2000 after a few years of overseas harvest stints that included California, New Zealand, and France. His love for Pinot Noir was immersed in the surroundings of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, which has arguably become the home of this variety in South Africa. Being the 3rd producer to establish themselves in this area, there was still much to discover with various vineyard practices and variety of soils higher up in the valley where they grow their vines today.

Nadia joined Gordon in 2006 from similar cool climate surroundings in the Constantia Valley, also after a couple of harvests in California and Australia. Together they have in the last few years, extended Newton Johnson’s vineyards on to their south-facing property, Sandford, directly opposite in the valley. Establishing environmentally friendly vineyards that will age well in to the future decades has been the focus of much their energy.