Ever since we planted our first Pinot Noir vineyards on the Newton Johnson farm in 2003, we
were mindful that it would take years for these vines to find their feet and express any notion
of terroir, if any. With each season, as the vines have evolved, our perceptions and expectations
of them have evolved with them. Some have reached their ceiling, while others have excelled
beyond. The authenticity and consistency to which the Seadragon and Windansea vineyards
have defined themselves, has led us to regard them as our top growth vineyards. Their maturity,
complexity and singular expression are ably demonstrated in each of these cuvées.

WINDANSEA is a large 2.5ha vineyard planted on the highest part of the slope before
encountering shallow bedrock and mo untainside behind the winery. The shallow, dense clay
below the surface is a major feature of the soil and ascribes for the more muscular structure
and presence. With majestic views to the sea, the vineyard is also the most exposed to wind and
is constantly suppressed in the vigour of its growth. Thicker skins on the berries produce
deeper and darker tones. The succulent tang of red and black fruit is persistent in the fringes,
but it is the firmer body and backbone that define the wine of the vineyard. The roots find
their way early into the heavy clay and even as young vines they deliver these characteristics.
The use of whole bunches and stems are especially useful here in helping to accentuate the
acidity and spiciness and to align the tannin structure .

T A S T I N G  N O T E S
A lavish wine with dense fruit, soft spice and violets in cooler years. The lush black and red
fruits merge to a savoury core, strewn with mineral characters and freshly turned earth. The
firm framework and granular tannins are rooted in the clay soil, lengthened by fine, sinewy
tannins in the finish.

A N A L Y S I S

Alcohol by volume: 13.4 %
Total Acidity: 5.6 g/l
pH: 3.5
Residual sugar: 2.2 g/l

SOIL: A duplex soil with topsoil to about 35cm deep that has coarse fragments and only 5% clay. The subsoil consists of material in different stages of weathering. 30% fine gravel and 20% coarse gravel with varying clay percentages followed by dense clay at about 70cm deep. The root depth is on average 80cm.

A S P E C T: North facing. Slope of 15%
T R E L I S S I N G: 7-wire Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) with movable wires
A G E  O F  V I N E S: 18 years
P R U N I N G: Double Guyot
V I N E S P E R H: a 3200
A V E R A G E  Y I E L D: 5.3 tons/ha (36 hl/ha)

2 0 2 2 V I N T A G E
Growing Season & Harvesting
The growing season was preceded by a glorious Winter for vine dormancy. Abundant rain from
May through to August and 45 chilling portions to a late budbreak in mid -September, ensured
an even budbreak and good fertility in the vines. An exceptionally cool Spring produced late
flowering from mid to late November, with a storm system causing some wind damage during
flowering on 25t h November. As December passed into January, the rain disappeared and the
sun came out, producing a dry and warmer ripening period for the grapes. The drawn out
growing season still culminated in an average ripening period of 107 days from flowering to
harvest for both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Abundant yields were observed in all varieties
and excellent health of the bunches from the drier conditions.

The Windansea vineyard was harvested on the farm on 2n d March.

Winemaking
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 ferm enter (with no
crushing). No sulphur is used in the winemaking until after malolactic fermentation, allowing
diverse micro-organisms from the grape itself to flourish unrestrained in the spontaneous
fermentation. This parcel also contains a discretionary p ercentage (varying from 30-40%) of
whole bunches. Cold maceration ensues for 6 to 7 days at 8 to 10°C. All parcels are
fermented by spontaneous yeasts, and only pigeage (punching down) applied for extraction.
The wine spends approximately 2 5 days on the skins before pressing. After pressing, it is
racked and left to complete its malolactic fermentation and maturation in barrel on its lees.

Maturation & Bottling
Matured for 11 months in barrique (228L) barrels produced in Burgundy and custom made for
this vineyard. Tighter grained oak is preferred for subtle flavour, with longer seasoning and
slower, lower temperature toasting. New oak comprises 22%. The wine is racked to larger,
older puncheon (500L) barrels for another 5 months of élevage. No fining or filtration, and a
sulphur adjustment before bottling.

B O T T L E S  P R O D U C E D: 2 5 9 8 x 750ml
B O T T L I N G  D A T E: 2 J u n e 2023
B E S T  D R I N K I N G: 2 – 15 years