Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Granum ( 6 x 750 ml )

UPPER HEMEL-EN-AARDE VALLEY, South Africa

Varieties

75% Syrah
25% Mourvedre

The Vineyard

The foremost feature of the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation is the outcrop of weathered Granite soil that is exclusive in the Cape South Coast. This iron rich granite is found in diverse size and texture due to the various stages of cooling when the magma formed this parent rock. GRANUM is grown exclusively on sites of higher density plantings and Echalas–trained (vine trained on its own wooden stake) vines of Syrah and Mourvèdre.

These vineyards lie at the very bottom of the farm in the densest deposits of granite rock and claystone, at an altitude of 220m in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. This appellation ranges from 4 to 8 km in proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is cool and temperate, where parallel mountain ranges channel the southerly oceangoing winds through the appellation during the summer. These southerly winds in turn create regular sea mists and overcast conditions, moderating the temperatures in the valley. Weather data from 2012-2016 conveys an average of 1625 Growing Degree Days on the Winkler Scale, placing it in Region II. The annual rainfall is 910mm, with 50% falling in the winter months (May – August).

Granite soil is known to bear fresh, precise and aromatic wines and is a perfect match for these varieties. After a few years in the pipeline, they took the decision to release the first edition of this estate red from the very worthy 2012 vintage. It carries their own typical approach of soft handling in the cellar and a generous use of whole bunches and stems to mark definition and length.

SOIL : Porphyritic granite and claystone. 2 metres of 80% stone over clay subsoil.
ASPECT : North-West facing. Slope of 6%.
TRELISSING : Echalas and Goblet (bushvine)
PRUNING : Echalas (staked vine) and Goblet (bushvine)
AGE OF VINES : 11 years
VINES PER Ha : 5112
AVERAGE YIELD : 4 – 5.2 tons/Ha (26 – 30 hl/Ha) Syrah
6.4 tons/Ha (41 hl/Ha) Mourvèdre

The Harvest

A good, cold start to the winter with a mass of rain that ebbed away from July onwards. The middle of August saw a sustained warm spell that woke the vines in to budbreak 2 weeks early. The rains dried up by the end of October with practically no disease pressure all through to harvest. The dry season kept the vines’ vigour in check with a modest crop and fruit concentrated with flavour. There were stronger diurnal changes than usual and fresh, cool mornings lasted longer in to the day. The fruit across the board was markedly healthy and in some of the best condition we have seen. The Syrah was harvested on 23 February, and the Mourvèdre on 10 March.

The Cellar

The grapes are packed in to large-surface area crates to limit pressure on the bunches. The day’s harvest is cooled down overnight to 8ºC in the winery’s refrigerated cold room. The bunches are sorted on a conveyor, destemmed, and fall directly to the fermenter. All parcels are fermented with a discretionary percentage of whole bunches together with their stems. Cold maceration ensues for 4 to 6 days at 8 to 10°C. All parcels are fermented with indigenous yeasts, and only pigeage (punching down) applied for extraction. The wine spends approximately 25 days on the skins before pressing. After pressing the wine is racked and left to complete its malolactic fermentation and maturation in oak barrels.

Matured for 12 months in 500L barrels produced in Burgundy and custom made for the various vineyards. Tighter grained oak is preferred for subtle flavour, with longer seasoning and slower, lower temperature toasting. New oak comprises 23%. The wine is racked to stainless steel tanks for another 6 months of élevage. No fining and filtration before bottling.

ANALYSIS

Alcohol by volume Total 14.03%
Acidity 5.8 g/l
pH 3.51
Residual sugar 1.7 g/l

BOTTLES PRODUCED : 10 500 x 750ml