Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

Hamilton Russell Vineyards Release Their New 2025 Vintages on World Pinot Noir Day…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Located in South Africa’s maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hamilton Russell Vineyards stands as a South African benchmark for cool-climate viticulture. Planted just 1.5 kilometres from the cold Atlantic Ocean on 52 hectares of ancient, clay-rich shale soil, the estate produces only two wines – a single Pinot Noir and a single Chardonnay. Both wines are designed and assembled not merely to showcase these two Burgundian cultivars, but also to capture the precise personality of their unique Valley terroir.

The 2025 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay is defined by its striking natural acidity, dry minerality, and structural poise. Whole-bunch pressed and grown on low-yielding vines, the style prioritizes tension, length, and elegance over heavy oak or overt fruit nuances. The Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir leans into a classically savoury, Old World profile, characterized by dark spice, subtle primal tones, and firm structural depth, it trades higher alcohols and simple fruit sweetness for more refined, age-worthy classical complexity. 

Blessed with near-ideal growing conditions in 2025 – a cold winter, clean bud break, and flawless harvesting conditions, owner Anthony Hamilton Russell considers 2025 to be one of the finest vintages in the estate’s history. Together, these two new releases represent an ultra-sophisticated, Burgundy-inspired craft from one of South Africa’s flagship Pinot Noir producer.

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2025 Hamilton Russell production sees a slight volume recovery on the 2024 vintage but remains still well below normal. Fortunately, the 2025 Chardonnay quality, like the 2024, is truly superb, the wine boasting gorgeous notes of fragrant white blossoms and waxy bergamot lemons with delicate salted green pistachio hints. Delicately nutty on the nose and palate, the limestone mineral vein is never far away, combining with intense crystalline notes of lemon and lime cordial, salted caramel, and crunchy green apple fruits, finishing with superb concentration and a vibrantly tangy acidity. This is top notch Chardonnay from an excellent vintage in the Valley. Drink now to 2036+. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting the 2025s and 2026s with winemaker Emul Ross.

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2025, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13.5% Abv. 

Like in Burgundy, every vintage in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is slightly different, and thankfully after several consecutive small vintages, the Pinot Noir volumes started to recover in 2025 and 2026. Luckily, Anthony Hamilton Russell and Emul Ross have produced one of their finest Pinot Noirs in possibly a decade, the aromatics restrained, delicately perfumed and slightly stony before hints of pink musk, red apple, red and black cherry and notes of small wild strawberries. On the palate, the oak is fully integrated and absorbed by the pure fruit concentration, the terroir minerality showing a steely vein of nervy freshness and the linear acids giving way to tart red berries, cranberries, and bright red bramble berry fruits. A very pretty, triumphant Pinot Noir with stony mineral tannins lining the wine’s textural pathway, finishing with intensity and clarity. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Hamilton Russell Vineyard wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Mentzendorff Wines.

From the Fine Wine Safari Cellar – Part 7: Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2013 from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 2 Comments

Cracking open a bottle of 13-year-old white Burgundy these days is probably slightly less risky than it was a few years ago when white Burgundy was mired in its very own premature oxidation crisis. But what about an aged South African Chardonnay? Firstly, many (or even most) examples are not really made for long-term ageing but of course there are a handful of premium expressions from top producers such as Hamilton Russell Vineyards that can improve with plenty of bottle age. While their estate’s Chardonnay quality is exceptional every year, some cooler, more structured vintages are certainly capable of ageing incredibly well. I recently pulled a bottle of their 2013 from my cellar and was pleasantly surprised by its youthful vigour. This was a wine critically appraised on release by numerous commentators at 93-94/100 points.

2013 was a standout vintage in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley with rich, generous, sumptuous wines displaying great depth of fruit and structure. The reds in particular benefited from the 2013 harvest conditions, with dark, complex fruit at moderate alcohol levels. A cold winter was followed by a cold wet spring almost up to flowering, while cool strong Southeasters with some rain during flowering and berry-set contributed to very low yields. In general bud-break was later than usual and for the first time Sauvignon Blanc ripened before Pinot noir and Chardonnay. A drier, breezy December and January contributed to healthy disease-free ripening. The average of the maximum temperatures for December, January, February and March was, at 25.33 Centigrade, a touch higher than the long-term average of 25 Centigrade – warmer than 2012, 2010 and 2009, but cooler than 2011. 

As far as I remember, this 2013 would have been vinified by Hannes Storm, Hamilton Russell’s winemaker until the 2014 vintage, after which current winemaker, Emul Ross, took over.

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2013, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 13% Abv.

This 2013 Chardonnay displays a stunning old yellow gold colour in the glass. Crisp, clear and bright, the aromatics are exotic and complex but incredibly measured and pinpoint pointing to the clarity and precision of a cooler vintage. Open and fragrant from first pour, the nose boasts honied herbal tea and lemon cordial, dried mango, salted dried pistachios, toasted almond flakes and hints of salted creme caramel. On the palate the oak is seamlessly integrated, adding a delicately pithy note of phenolic grip along side taut crystallised citrus peel, candied fig, crisp linear acids and a long saline oyster shell finish. A superb expression from a cooler Hemel-en-Aarde Valley vintage. Drink now and over the next 5+ years. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Another Great Vintage Performance From Hamilton Russell Vineyards – Tasting the New Release Pinot Noir 2017…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Hamilton Russell Vineyards’ wines have been on fire the past three vintages with young talent Emul Ross at the winemaking helm. In early March I caught up with Walker Bay royalty, Anthony and Olive Hamilton-Russell to taste the new Chardonnay and Pinot Noir releases from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, one year later to the day precisely after tasting them in barrel with Anthony and Emul.

The 2017 harvest was back to normal timings after particularly early 2015 and 2016 harvests. The 2017 harvest was short with all fruit coming in before the end of February. Based on average temperatures, 2017 was a warm harvest at 0.53 centigrade above average. Rainfall was only 10mm below the long term average, so conditions could not be described as particularly dry. Yields were well under 35 hl/ha. The Pinot Noir was fermented in stainless steel and then barrel aged for 10 months with full malolactic fermentation in 37% new French oak, 35% second fill, and 28% third fill barrels.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2017, WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Walker Bay, Abv 13.31

First tasted from barrel in March 2017, I was excited to get another look at this finished wine in bottle. Already very showy, perfumed and quite generous on the nose with layers of sun dried cranberries, strawberry confit, logan berry, pomegranate and earthy red plum notes wafting uninhibitedly out the glass. Beyond the pretty aromatics lurk seductive notes of peppermint crisp, dark chocolate and subtle vanilla pod and wood spice. The palate is equally seductive, vibrant and bright on the entry with the most mouth watering complexity of sweet cranberry, blood orange, caramelised red cherries and delicate cherry cola vermouth botanical nuances. Impressively elegant and balanced, this wine is only just starting to blossom. Surely destined to be a real beauty. Drink now to 2030+

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An Embarrassment of Riches from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley ~ Tasting Another Fine Chardonnay from Restless River…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

It seems consumers are being spoilt rotten at the moment with all the amazing Chardonnays from both Elgin and the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. If you follow my blog, you might be mistaken for thinking that’s almost all I drink! Well, I’ve been following Craig Wessels’ beautiful reds and whites for the past few years starting with purchases of his unique Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and his 2012 Chardonnay.


Craig’s latest release in the UK market, the Ava Marie Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 from the Upper Hemel-En-Aarde Valley, is another top notch crackerjack wine. Using 15% new oak, the grapes were harvested between the 27th of February and the 12th of March and barrel fermented after wholebunch pressing. The wine was left 8 months on its lees without battonage.


Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay 2014 Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, South Africa, 12.9 Abv.

Exotic, fragrant nose on this expressive wine. Shows salted caramel, lemon butter, toffee apple and hazelnut complexity. Wow, super complex nose. The palate does not disappoint either with intense caramelised white citrus fruits, creme brûlée, and nutty chalky complexity. Perhaps from a more difficult vintage but this is an extremely fine effort that is showing amazingly well. Most 2014 Walker Bay Chardonnays were probably sold out and drunk up long ago, but this elegant white is singing at the moment. Well done Craig Wessels!

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)