20

25

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: 13.60%
  • Acid: 6.30 g/l
  • pH: 3.38
  • Residual Sugar: 2.60 g/l

 

  • Barrel Ageing: 9 Months

 

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

 

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

 

  • Hamilton Russell Vineyards Toast

 

  • French Coopers: Francois Freres 100%

 

  • Yield: 2.24 tons/ha, 13.8 hl/ha
  • Production: 3902 cases of 12 bottles equivalent

 

  • Release date – March 2026

 

  • Vegan Friendly

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Growing Season

After the challenges of the 2024 vintage, 2025 felt perfect. Although yields were very low, as is usual for us, bud break was even and complete following excellent cold units in July and August. The canopies were particularly healthy and there was no disease pressure to speak of. Harvest was relatively compressed, beginning in the 1st week of February as usual, and finishing on February 19th. Rainfall was in line with our long-term average and usefully lower in the month of harvest. Our grapes ripened perfectly with bright acidity and deep fruit flavours. Average maximum temperatures for Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, were a touch warmer than our long-term average at 25.35 Centigrade. The resulting wines have a particular purity of fruit and depth without any excess. We consider 2025 to be one of the best our 45 vintages to date.

Wine of the Week, Matthew Jukes, March 2026

Anthony Hamilton Rus­sell is one of the most urbane and cour­teous fel­lows in the Cape. While all around him middle-aged, cre­at­ively hir­sute, boho-wine­makers con­sume much of South Africa’s wine oxy­gen, AHR ploughs a thor­oughly civ­il­ised fur­row, craft­ing wines of uncom­mon refine­ment and global appeal. Since he assumed respons­ib­il­ity for his estate back in 1991, the chardon­nays and pinots here have under­gone a gradual, unre­lent­ing refine­ment, attain­ing world-class notori­ety, yet prices remain fair and unusu­ally enti­cing. Only the other day, Anthony showed me pre­views of his 2025 chardon­nay and 2025 pinot noir. Arriv­ing in April, these are finely wrought, min­eral-soaked, ultra­soph­ist­ic­ated wines with tran­scend­ent fla­vours. You should seek them out when they arrive. They will drink well from the off and age per­fectly for five years. At around £45 a throw, they ought to be atop your Bur­gundy-style wish list.

Ben Evans, Berry Brothers & Rudd, June 2026

After tasting these in the office earlier this week with the team, I could not agree more. The 2025 releases are superb wines which can certainly give Burgundy a run for its money!

Luke Dowdy, Berry Brothers & Rudd, June 2026

Opening with a lemony freshness and supple orchard fruit tones. Notably generous on the nose, this showcases the delicate use of oak too; a slender mention of cinnamon complements a richer tone of yellow peach. On the palate, the warmth comes through, showcasing more of that supple autumnal fruit. It is quite broad, mouth-filling and creamy, the fruit is definitely present, but not overwhelming, rather playing a supporting role to the carefully managed oak component and emphatic acidity. A brilliantly executed Chardonnay from one of South Africa’s best-known producers.

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