Newton Johnson Albariño 2020

Albariño is a white variety typical of humid and not very hot areas. According to Álvaro Cunqueiro (writer, gastronome), vines of this variety were brought to Spain from the Moselle (in France) by the Cistercian monks, becoming a native variety of Galicia, where it has been cultivated since the Middle Ages. Likewise, this variety is now found in northern Portugal, in California and other places, but never before in South Africa; until now.

This is thanks to Newton Johnson, a winery located in the Hemel en Aarde Valley, near the coastal town of Hermanus (a one and a half hour drive from Cape Town), in the Walker Bay region of the Western Cape South Coast. Newton Johnson are the first in this area to take a chance on this variety, which in principle has had no problems acclimatising to the location and climate. In fact, despite what we might first believe, the Western Cape South Coast has a cool and temperate climate, with an annual rainfall of 850 mm (mostly in winter, during the months of May and August) and influences from the Benguela and Cape Doctor winds. The mountain range that frames this area, where winds are channelled during the summer and moderate temperatures, also undoubtedly have an influence. In these conditions, the Albariño grows perfectly on granitic slopes, facing north, at altitudes between 250-300 metres above sea level, very close to the Atlantic.

When the time comes, the grapes are harvested by hand in small, shallow boxes during the day, leaving the night hours for the bunches to cool down to 8ºC in cold storage. The next morning the Newton Johnson Albariño clusters are placed on a selection table, where only the best are chosen. After destemming and crushing, the Newton Johnson Albariño grapes are ready for maceration with skins. There, in stainless steel tanks, they remain in contact with the skins for some time until finally, the wine is transferred by gravity to another tank where it is left to settle overnight. This operation, which doesn’t use any kind of enzymes, involves leaving the must to rest overnight at low temperatures so that all the bitter substances and the remains of skins and plant particles in the must fall by gravity, leaving Newton Johnson Albariño clean and ready for fermentation (in large concrete eggs and old foudres). Finally, 42% of Newton Johnson Albariño spends 8 months aging in concrete eggs, 45% in stainless steel tanks and 13% in old wood before bottling. With no clarification or filtering, with low amounts of sulphur during bottling, Newton Johnson Albariño is ready to be enjoyed.