Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2022 (750ml)
Product price
Description
The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley sits close to the cool Atlantic at the southern edge of South Africa's Western Cape, a maritime pocket that has built its reputation on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This 2022 from Hamilton Russell Vineyards comes from the lower part of that valley, a still white fermented and aged in French oak with about a quarter new wood and only a touch of malolactic conversion, the kind of restrained winemaking that lets a cool-climate Chardonnay keep its tension.
It opens quietly, then gathers, with floral lift and a whisper of spice over white peach, pear, and bright citrus. There's a yogurt-like richness and a flash of apple at the core, but the oak stays supple and folded in rather than obvious. What lingers is a mineral, almost steely line running underneath the fruit, the sort of structure that keeps the wine fresh and complex through the finish and suggests it will hold and develop for years.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Color | White |
| Country | South Africa |
| Region | Western Cape |
| Subregion | Hemel-en-Aarde Valley |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Producer | Hamilton Russell Vineyards |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Subtype | Still |
Expert Reviews
Subtle at first on the nose and palate, this builds with floral aromas and a hint of spice, together with succulent white peach and pear fruit on the palate. Oak is supple and beautifully integrated. Deceptively powerful, there is a mineral, almost steely, edge which will give this a long future. 100% barrel-fermentation in François Frères oak, 23% new wood, 5% malolactic conversion. Another fine wine from Emul Ross, and a classic example of Chardonnay from the Lower Valley. (Decanter, January 2024)
Opening to a nose of bright lemon and peach yogurt with hints of banana, the 2022 Chardonnay is fresh and citrus-laden. Medium-bodied and with 13.2% alcohol, the palate is fresh, balanced and spicy with succulent apple essence before swinging to show an elegant floral notion that finishes fresh and complex. This Chardonnay was barrel fermented and aged in 23% new French oak. Give it a try! Just under 70,000 bottles were filled. (Wine Advocate, December 2023)