Hearth is Nadia Newton Johnson’s personal project, built around two small vineyard parcels in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and the varieties that have shaped her winemaking career: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The name means the centre of the home. For Nadia, it reflects the place where she has lived and made wine alongside her husband, Gordon Newton Johnson, for more than two decades.
The 2024 release consists of two wines: Hearth ‘Swinsian’ Chardonnay and Hearth ‘Artjesvlei’ Pinot Noir, rated 95 and 94 points respectively by Christian Eedes for Winemag.co.za.
A project close to home
Hearth brings Nadia’s experience with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir into a deliberately small project, with each wine drawn from a specific vineyard parcel in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
The approach in the cellar is careful and measured. Grapes are hand-harvested, cooled and sorted before moving through the cellar by gravity. Fermentations begin naturally, extraction is gentle and the oak is selected to support the fruit rather than cover it.
The two wines offer different expressions of that approach: the concentration and bright acidity of Swinsian Chardonnay, and the perfume, fine tannins and dry finish of Artjesvlei Pinot Noir.
Fewer than 1,000 bottles were produced from clone 96 Chardonnay grown in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
The fruit spent the night in a cold room before sorting and whole-bunch pressing. The wine completed full malolactic fermentation and spent ten months in barrel, with 30% new oak, followed by four months in stainless steel before bottling.
Lemon, floral perfume and a subtle struck-match note lead into dense fruit, bright acidity and a savoury finish. It is concentrated without losing its precision or direction.
Artjesvlei is a 2.73-hectare, south-facing vineyard situated seven kilometres from the ocean at an elevation of 280 metres. The dry-farmed PN777 vines were planted in 2008 on ancient granite, with a deep clay layer that helps retain moisture.
The fruit was cooled overnight and carefully sorted before fermentation with ambient yeasts, including 15% whole bunches. The wine matured in French oak, around 30% new.
Rose, fynbos, mint, white pepper and red fruit lead into lively acidity, fine tannins and a particularly dry finish.
Hearth 2024: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde
Hearth is Nadia Newton Johnson’s personal project, built around two small vineyard parcels in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and the varieties that have shaped her winemaking career: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The name means the centre of the home. For Nadia, it reflects the place where she has lived and made wine alongside her husband, Gordon Newton Johnson, for more than two decades.
The 2024 release consists of two wines: Hearth ‘Swinsian’ Chardonnay and Hearth ‘Artjesvlei’ Pinot Noir, rated 95 and 94 points respectively by Christian Eedes for Winemag.co.za.
A project close to home
Hearth brings Nadia’s experience with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir into a deliberately small project, with each wine drawn from a specific vineyard parcel in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
The approach in the cellar is careful and measured. Grapes are hand-harvested, cooled and sorted before moving through the cellar by gravity. Fermentations begin naturally, extraction is gentle and the oak is selected to support the fruit rather than cover it.
The two wines offer different expressions of that approach: the concentration and bright acidity of Swinsian Chardonnay, and the perfume, fine tannins and dry finish of Artjesvlei Pinot Noir.
THE WINES:
R610.00Add to basket
Hearth ‘Swinsian’ Chardonnay 2024
Fewer than 1,000 bottles were produced from clone 96 Chardonnay grown in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
The fruit spent the night in a cold room before sorting and whole-bunch pressing. The wine completed full malolactic fermentation and spent ten months in barrel, with 30% new oak, followed by four months in stainless steel before bottling.
Lemon, floral perfume and a subtle struck-match note lead into dense fruit, bright acidity and a savoury finish. It is concentrated without losing its precision or direction.
95 points | Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
R730.00Add to basket
Hearth ‘Artjesvlei’ Pinot Noir 2024
Artjesvlei is a 2.73-hectare, south-facing vineyard situated seven kilometres from the ocean at an elevation of 280 metres. The dry-farmed PN777 vines were planted in 2008 on ancient granite, with a deep clay layer that helps retain moisture.
The fruit was cooled overnight and carefully sorted before fermentation with ambient yeasts, including 15% whole bunches. The wine matured in French oak, around 30% new.
Rose, fynbos, mint, white pepper and red fruit lead into lively acidity, fine tannins and a particularly dry finish.
94 points | Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
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