Rich and generous with its wild flavour. Brooding black fruits, liquorice and mulberry are laced with black and white pepper, topped with the sweet floral notes of Grenache. Full liquorice flavour, with juicy red fruits in the periphery, and chewy tannins lasting to the finish.

Newton Johnson Vineyards is owned and managed by the Newton Johnson family. The farm is based in the upper Hemel en Aarde Valley near the seaside town of Hermanus, an hour and a half's drive out of Cape Town. This is a popular tourist destination, famous for some of the most spectacular land-based whale watching in the world lush indigenous fynbos, a floral kingdom, home to 1500 species and exclusive to the Cape, mountain walks and bike trails.

The lower slopes of the Newton Johnson farm are undeniably suited to Rhône/Mediterranean grape varieties. Alluvial deposits of large stone fragments up to two metres deep require robust vines to search for nutrients and water. 'FULL STOP ROCK' is how they define this jagged landscape.

Unlike Pinot noir that is sapped of its plump fruit and vitality, robust vines like Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, thrive in this type of soil. When they pioneered the Syrah grape in the Hemel en Aarde Valley little was known of the potential styles of Syrah-based blends from the cooler South African wine areas. They were encouraged to discover clear cut, invigorating wines with compact black fruit, spice, perfume and sophisticated tannins.

92 points: Tim Atkin MW, March 2022.