I don’t know how Laura Taylor does it. Private Cellar’s marketing director has managed – after a similar coup with the previous vintage – to snare an elusive and handsome parcel of 2022 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir especially for readers of The Spectator. You cannot buy these anywhere else yet.
These are wines of the highest order and greatly sought-after and we are blessed to be so honoured. Indeed, as Anthony Hamilton Russell himself said to Laura: ‘Your allocation is more than many countries get!’
It helps, of course, that Laura knows the estate – in South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – well, and that she visited it only a month or so ago. It helps, too, that AHR is a longtime subscriber to our organ and has the distinction of hosting more Spectator Winemaker Lunches than any other producer: six at the last count.
I expect these wines to fly out the door, so if you’re interested in nabbing the finest Chardonnay and Pinot in all the Cape, then get your blooming skates on. And that’s no hyperbole: the 2021 HRV Chardonnay was named Chardonnay of the Year and awarded five stars in 2023 Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide.
The 2022 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay (1) is a worthy successor to said wine, full of citrus, white peach and just a hint of buttery toast. It’s concentrated and restrained and while hard to resist now, it’ll blossom into something truly majestic. £38.95.
The 2022 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir (2) is yet another sublime example of what this estate can do with the so-called Heartbreak Grape. I honestly believe there’s no better Pinot in all South Africa. It’s tight, elegant and reserved with soft, seductive red fruit and just a touch of something spicy on the finish. I love it. £42.
If you want to compare this beauty with the previous vintage, I beg you to take advantage of the fact that Laura has generously made Private Cellar’s last ten boxes of 2021 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir (3) available just for us. Already deliciously sensual and open, it’s in glorious form with plenty of room to improve. If you like the finest red Burgundy but quail at the finest red Burgundy’s price, snap up this most Burgundian of Saffa Pinots, pronto. You’ll thank me. Oh, and decant it, too, just to let it show off a bit. £39 (only ten boxes of six remaining).
We also have a tiny amount of the 2019 Ashbourne Pinotage (4) from the Hamilton Russell estate. This is the wine that completely changed perceptions about South African Pinotage. It’s stunning. Full, rich and with plenty of ripe fruit, there’s a savoury, earthy touch to the finish and it could easily be confused with a top Bordeaux or Rhône. It ages beautifully and I’m delighted that some bottles already grace my cellar, aka the Cobwebbed Cupboard Under the Stairs. £47 (only nine wooden boxes of six remaining).
And since we’re in this gorgeous part of the Cape, we’ve the 2020 Springfontein Terroir Selection Chenin Blanc (5) from the other side of Walker Bay, a perfect example of South Africa’s signature white grape. Organic, unfiltered, wild yeast-fermented and aged in egg-shaped amphorae and oak barriques, it’s full of peach, apple blossom and toast, with great acidity and a long, rewarding finish. It’s a lovely wine. £16.55 down from £18.25.
Its sibling, the 2018 Springfontein Terroir Selection Pinotage (6), is equally tasty. With wonderfully rich bramble fruit born of hot days and cool, sea breeze-fanned nights, it’s full and juicy on the palate with a long, luscious finish. £16.55 down from £17.95.
The 2022 Hamilton Russell Vineyards wines will arrive in early May, but everything else is here and ready to go. The mixed case contains six bottles each of wines 5 and 6. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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