Hamilton Russell Vineyards, one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea – is located in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation. The Estate specialises in producing highly individual, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which are widely regarded as the best in South Africa and among the best in the New World.
‘The wine is very rich and intense on the nose, brimming with dried rose petals, lavender, cherry blossom and dried thyme and oregano herbs. The palate is super concentrated with sweet black cherry, graphite spice and grey slatey gravelly minerality. While this wine has more concentration than previous vintages, it also has restraint and dusty structured tannins that add a beautiful frame from which to hang the complex fruit adornments. There is a real gravitas, complexity and textured layers to this very ‘grown up’ wine. The finish is long and precise and just when you think the last word will be left on a mineral note, a burst of pithy juicy stony red cherry fruit kicks in to tantalise the palate. This is a great effort from winemaker Emul Ross and a killer wine that should age gracefully for 15+ years.’ 95+ points, Greg Sherwood MW