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. Led by Dave, a Cape Wine Master with a thesis on Pinot Noir, and his wife, Felicity (nee Newton), the Newton Johnson family moved to the Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley in 1995, built a cellar and started planting vines shortly thereafter. This enthusiasm for wine and Pinot noir in particular, was passed on to and eagerly adopted by his sons, Bevan and Gordon. They in turn have taken this family cellar and vineyards to new heights in exploring the nuances of this grape and their vineyards. The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has seen an explosion of quality Pinot noir over the last decade, and they believe it to be capable of producing wines of world renowned authenticity. Their focus is ever more on perfecting techniques in the vineyard and cellar that resonate the best of their conditions. The sloped vineyards face the southern winds of the cold Atlantic which couple freshness with the linearity and florals produced in the wines by their granite soils. It is a discovery of this translation from their farm that encourages them to make wines free from the distortion of modern convention and convenience, wines with purity of flavour and natural expression. As testimony to the quality of their wines, they have won various awards in the Platters South African Wine Guide, with the 2013 Family Vineyards Pinot Noir earning a 5 stars rating for the 6th consecutive year.