Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2023

Newton Johnson makes this Chardonnay in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley, part of the Walker Bay ward on South Africa's cool Cape South Coast. Proximity to the Atlantic and cold sea breezes keep temperatures moderate through the growing season, so the fruit ripens slowly and holds its acidity. The soils are weathered clay and decomposed granite, which drain well and lend a stony, mineral quality to the wine. Fermentation is followed by twelve months in oak barrels, where lees contact and slow oxygen exchange add texture and a savoury depth while barrel ferment character folds in gentle spice. Malolactic fermentation softens the sharper malic acidity into a rounder feel without masking the fruit. The wine is pale gold, with a nose of lemon curd, white peach and toasted almond over a chalky, flinty edge. The palate is precise and cool in style, with citrus and stone fruit carried on a fine, lees worked texture and a long, saline finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white Burgundy glass.