The new Platter Guide has just appeared and we are very proud to announce that our N J Family Vineyards Pinot noir 2011 has been awarded 5 STARS yet again! This achievement makes the Newton Johnson Pinot Noir the ONLY Pinot Noir in South Africa to receive 5 STARS in 3 consecutive years. It was also the only 5 star Pinot Noir from the Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay and Elgin areas – something to make our wine makers, Gordon and Nadia, very proud given the young age of our vineyards and wines.

Our N J Full Stop Rock 2008 were given 4½ stars, while our N J Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2010, N J Resonance 2010, N J Sauvignon Blanc 2011, N J Elgin Pinot noir 2010, Felicité dry Rosé 2011 and Felicité Pinot Noir 2011 all received 4 stars. In the Platter Wine Guide all the wines which rate 4 stars and above are printed in red. Newton Johnson is one of the very few wineries whose section is all in red ink.

A recent review of of Neal Martin, published by Robert Parker August 2011 reads: “The 2009 Chardonnay” (rated 90) “.... has a beautifully defined bouquet of lime flower, lemon peel, almonds and custard creme. The palate is pure and crisp ... there is some lovely fruit underneath with a long, coconut and almond-tinged finish. “The 2009 Pinot Noir” (rated 93) ... “has superb intensity on the nose with wild strawberry, Morello, crushed flowers and a touch of citrus lemon, a real doppelganger for Burgundy. The palate is well balanced with crisp, fleshy red berry fruit with crisp, taut acidity and a feminine silky smooth finish. This is how Pinot Noir should be: vibrant and life affirming! Superb. “I’ve long been a fan of Gordon Newton Johnson’s wines from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. His is one of South Africa’s finest Pinot Noirs plus his Chardonnay is packed full of flavour for the price.”

Thanks to the Hermanus Wine Route, the R320 has become one of the most important roads on the South African tourist landscape. And now there is a magnificent blend celebrating the generosity of the surrounding terroir. Introducing the Hermanus Wine Route R320 blend – a limited release wine aimed at the social upliftment of the local community by providing educational assistance to learners in the area. Co-sponsored by Curro Private Schools (Hermanus) and the Hermanus Agrimark, the choice components for this impressive charity blend were donated by leading producers along the R320: Southern Right, Bouchard Finlayson, La Vierge, Newton Johnson, Sumaridge, Spookfontein, Ataraxia, Creation, Mount Babylon, Domaine des Dieux, Whalehaven and Hermanuspietersfontein.

For more information, see www.hermanuswineroute.co.za

Ask any surfer that has surfed at Cape St. Francis, immortalized in Bruce Brown’s 1966 movie The Endless Summer as “the perfect wave”, and they will tell you about the chunk of ‘terre’, called FULL STOP ROCK that stands in the path of the wave between you and surfing Nirvana. This was our Dad’s old surfing haunt in the 60’s and unwisely the locale of his honeymoon. This also explains the rockiest soils on our farm where we’ve planted the syrah grapes used for this blend. Even our toughest farm vehicles cannot move over these rocks!

Cape St. Francis