Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2020

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir is a South African wine icon dedicated to expressing its terroir. Opens with a graceful nose that is soft and sweet without being overtly fruity. The palate has a delectable tightness to its structure, crisp tannins and a length that balances its richness perfectly. Ripe red cherry, currant and raspberry fruit flavours mingle with savoury dark spices like anise, pepper and tobacco to create complexity. Closes in a bright and lingering mineral finish.

100% Pinot Noir. The fruit comes from small yielding vines growing in Hamilton Russell Vineyard's low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soils and under cool maritime mesoclimates. Hamilton Russell Vineyards is one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea. They pioneered viticulture and winemaking in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus.

The wine ages for 10 months in 228L French Oak barrels (25% 1st fill, 25% 2nd fill, 42% 3rd fill and 8% 4th fill).

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

 - 96 POINTS

Bouncing back from the fires in 2019 - and then some - this is the best young Pinot Noir release I've tasted from Hamilton Russell. Representing a subtle shift in style towards greater perfume and fruit, this is a detailed, finely judged blend of clones 113, 115 and 667, with svelte tannins, tidy acidity, rose petal top notes and skilfully integrated oak.

- 96 POINTS

2020 is a classic rendition of Hamilton Russell Vineyards classicisms and a sense of place reflects a hallmark consistent over vintages with the purism of Pinot uncompromised, confidently austere as in the great Volnay's, perfectly ripe cranberries, cherries and mulberry, more neutral amphora like neutrality and blonde oak, spice and tight core with a structured mouthfeel, lean precision and chiselled last like freshness and purity, it is vibrant and long, highly intellectual, rewarding now yet have so much stamina.

  - 94 POINTS

The 2020 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir is a beautiful, terroir-driven wine by the talented winemaker Emul Ross. Sourced from estate vineyards from Hemel-En-Aarde, vines are set on stony, clay slopes. Once on the nose this takes on highly Burgundian tones of peat moss and wild mushroom alongside blood orange zest and flinty undertones. The palate is very generously textured and seamless with a beautiful air of elegance, as this effortlessly glides across the drinking experience. A thrill to enjoy even so young, this has at least another fifteen years ahead of it. But why wait?

 - 90 POINTS