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Chardonnay

A tight, mineral wine with classic Hamilton Russell Vineyards length and complexity. 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.

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Latest vintage available online via Port2Port.

  • Soil: Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil

 

  • Alcohol: 13.22%
  • Acid: 6.30 g/l
  • pH: 3.45
  • Residual Sugar: 2.10 g/l

 

  • Barrel Ageing: 9 Months

 

  • Wooding: 300 litre French Oak Barrels
  • Barrel Fermentation: 100%
  • Tight Grain: 100%

 

  • 1st fill: 24%
  • 2nd fill: 32%
  • 3rd fill: 24%
  • Older Oak: 20%

 

  • Hamilton Russell Vineyards Toast

 

  • French Coopers: Francois Freres 100%

 

  • Yield: 2.27 tons/ha, 14.80 hl/ha
  • Production: 3848 cases of 12 bottles equivalent

 

  • Release date – March 2024

 

  • Vegan Friendly

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Views on the vintage

Growing Season

Harvest dates for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were almost uncannily in-line with 2021 and 2022 and our long-term average. But whereas Pinot noir experienced even and easy bud-break, Chardonnay suffered from fewer winter cold units (a particular susceptibility of the variety) and not only had uneven bud-break, but one of our lowest yields in 10 years. This required careful triage, generally three passes per vineyard. Natural acids were very good for both Pinot noir and Chardonnay. At 24.18 centigrade for the average maximum temperatures for the 4 “hottest” months (Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar) building up to and during harvest, 2023 was one of our coolest years on record. Burgundy for the equivalent period has an average of 24.66 Centigrade. For those lucky enough to harvest before the substantial late season rains, 2023 produced vibrant, energetic but textured wines with wonderful natural acidity. An excellent result for a vintage that was not without its challenges.

#82 Top 100 Wines of South Africa 2024, James Suckling

One of Tim Atkin’s South Africa 2024 Special Report White Wines of the Year.

95 Points - Tim Atkin MW South Africa Special Report 2024

95 Points - Julie Sheppard, Decanter March 2024

94 Points "Peak performance" - David Lawrason, Wine Align, Canada, July 2024

93 Points - James Suckling

95 Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2024

Hamilton Russell's excellent Chardonnay has been a benchmark for as long as I can remember, a Cape calling card for the variety on international markets. This is typically intense, complex and layered, with notes of buttered croissant, stone fruit and honey, well-judged underlying freshness and acidity and stylishly handled 24% new wood.

95 Julie Sheppard, Decanter, March 2024

This has creamy citrus aromas, layered with pear, bright lime and nutty hints. Poised and precise palate; textured with generous silky ripeness to the citrus fruit. Already layered and complex, but with more to come, this is a beautiful Burgundian style, for a fraction of the price of Burgundy.

93 James Suckling

An elegant chardonnay that has aromas of fresh apricots, spiced apples, sourdough, licorice and cedar. It’s medium- to full-bodied, deliciously spicy and toasty, with bright acidity and a long, pristine finish.

Jonathan Ray, The Spectator, April 2024

... this has all the HRV hallmarks of vibrant acidity, a tight mineral heart and a ripe yet restrained and concentrated finish.

Sara d'Amato, Canada, July 2024

Bracingly youthful, this gently French-oaked chardonnay is notably firm but not austere. Features a complex herbal and botanical flavour profile with notes of chamomile, alpine underbrush, nettle, white flower and heather. Fluid and yet with tension. Its youthful austerity is loosened with some time in glass or decanter.

Megha Jandhyala, Canada, July 2024

One of the most memorable wines from the latest Vintages release, this is a chardonnay of exceptional complexity and poise. I love its enchanting flavours of stone and citrus fruit finely integrated with delicate notes of oak spice. Perhaps what is most exceptional about this wine, though, is how it strikes that elusive balance between intensity and elegance, richness and firmness.

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