2023 Hamilton Russell - Pinot Noir (750ml)

Hamilton Russell Vineyards was founded in 1975 by Tim Hamilton Russell, who pioneered viticulture in the cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley behind the fishing village of Hermanus, one of the most southerly wine estates in Africa. His son Anthony took over in 1994 and has continued refining the estate's approach, replanting with improved Pinot Noir clones in pursuit of wines with genuine Burgundian ambition. Winemaker Emul Ross, who joined from Chamonix in 2013, now shapes the estate's twenty-two hectares of Pinot Noir grown on stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale.

The 2023 vintage was one of the coolest on record at Hamilton Russell, with average harvest-season temperatures even lower than Burgundy's for the same period, though substantial late-season rain made for a demanding, multi-pass harvest. Fruit picked before the rains produced vibrant, textured wines with excellent natural acidity. The wine is made from Dijon clones and matured for ten months in a mix of new and old French oak, a regimen suited to a vintage the winemaking team approached with structure and staying power in mind.

The wine shows dark fruit, blackcurrant, and grilled rosemary layered with a ferrous, savory edge reminiscent of rusty nail. On the palate, plum and black cherry meet fine tannins and a smoky mineral finish. Serve it with roast duck, grilled salmon, or a wild mushroom tart.