93pts Wine Advocate
Gorgeously seductive in the glass, the 2020 Chardonnay immediately offers aromas of citrus pastry cream, butterscotch, nutmeg, crème brûlée and yellow apple panna cotta. Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced, there is a pleasing texture to the mouthfeel, followed by bright acidity that frames the mid-palate. Ending with a long-lingering and inspiring finish, persistent flavors of toasted almonds, citrus blossom and quince skin linger on the aftertaste. It’s a beautiful and delicious wine, one I cannot wait to retry in 10 years' time. Bravo!
92pts James Suckling
This has a vibrant nose of jasmine, grapefruit zest, sliced pear, buttered toast and smoked almonds. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity. Bright, zesty and spicy. Pretty almond notes on the finish. Drink now.
92pts Wine Spectator
This white is racy up front, chiseling flavors of melon, nectarine and Mandarin orange into a linear frame, but then expanding on the palate, with lightly silky texture carrying the juicy fruit and expressive accents of pickled ginger, chopped hazelnut, lime blossom and smoke.
Winemaker Notes
A tight, minerally wine with classic Hamilton Russell Vineyards length and complexity. Unusually prominent pear and lime fruit aromas and flavours are brought beautifully into focus by a tight line of bright natural acid and a long, dry minerality. An elegant, yet textured and intense wine with a strong personality of both place and vintage.
History
Hamilton Russell Vineyards – one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea – pioneered viticulture and winemaking in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. Tim Hamilton Russell purchased the undeveloped 425-acre property in 1975, after an exhaustive search for the most southerly site on which to make South Africa’s top cool climate wines from a selection of noble varieties. His son, Anthony Hamilton Russell, who took over in 1991 (finally buying the property in 1994), narrowed the range to only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and registered Hamilton Russell Vineyards as an Estate, committing to work only with grapes from their terroir. Today, Anthony and his wife Olive, winemaker Emul Ross, and viticulturist Johan Montgomery are completely dedicated to expressing the personality of the Hamilton Russell Vineyards terroir in their wines. Tiny yields and intense worldwide demand keep the elegant, highly individual, estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in very short supply.
