Pinot Noir 2022

HAMILTON RUSSELL VINEYARDS

Pinot Noir
2022

  • Sustainable
Country
South Africa
Regulated designation
Wine of origin (WO)
Region
Western Cape
Subregion
Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Varietal(s)
Pinot Noir 100 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Producer's website
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About this winery

Hamilton Russell Vineyards – one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea – pioneered viticulture and winemaking in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. The Estate specialises in producing highly individual, terroir driven Pinot noir and Chardonnay, which are widely regarded as the best in South Africa and among the finest in the New World. Owner, Anthony Hamilton Russell took...

See the HAMILTON RUSSELL VINEYARDS detail page for more information on this brand

Press reviews

Decanter

- 96 points -

Andy Howard MW, March 2022 (Vintage 2021)

Anthony Hamilton Russell views this as perhaps his finest Pinot Noir to date. 2021 was a cooler, later vintage (only 2001, 2004 and 2008 have been cooler in the past 25 years). It shows concentrated red berry fruit and sweet and spicy notes on the palate with velvety tannins and structure for the long haul. Aged 10 months in François Frères barriques. Still ultra-youthful, it needs two or three years but will keep several decades.

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Falstaff

- 96 points -

August 2021 (Vintage 2021)

A hint of Amarena, of dark peony petal, of iris and dark oak leaf. All of this is subtle, but wonderfully aromatic. That aroma, that subtle bitterness suggested by the oakleaf and iris, turns into a sense of liquorice. The tannins are incredibly fine. There is depth rather than power and that incredible aromatic load. Texture, body and flavours unite into something that is more than the sum of its parts. So beautifully long

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Tim Atkin MW

- 94 points -

2024 (Vintage 2023)

Emul Ross and proprietor Anthony Hamilton Russell are not afraid to make Pinot noirs with structure and staying power, even in a wetter vintage like 2023. This has plenty of colour, lots of spicy Francois Freres oak, some underlying ferrous trip, savoury tannins and flavours of plum and black cherry. Substantial, but give it time.

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Decanter

- 94 points -

March 2024 (Vintage 2023)

From a cool vintage, this Pinot is grown on low-vigour stony soils and was matured in new and old French oak for 10 months. There's lovely purity of red berry and cherry fruit on the nose, woven through with earthier savoury and spice hints. That savoury nuance persists on the elegant palate, alongside delicate raspberry and red cherry notes, with fine tannins and a whisper of smoke that emphasises the peristent mineral character. Still young, this will age beautifully.

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Tim Atkin MW

- 94 points -

Tim Atkin MW, September 2023 (Vintage 2022)

Rarely a Pinot Noir that one should be in a hurry to drink, the 2022 Hamilton Russell bottling needs time to develop and work its magic. This 2022 is comparatively serious and shuttered at the moment, with dark-fruited complexity, some clove spice from 10% whole clusters, grippy, sinewy tannins and stylish 36% new wood.

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Wine Advocate

93+ points

December 2023 (Vintage 2022)

Popping out of the glass with succulent dark red cherries and fresh potpourri essence, the 2022 Pinot Noir bursts with notes of wild herbs and turned earth. Medium-bodied, the palate offers flavors of black raspberry with a firm-gripping tannic edge. It shows seductive florals with spicy flavors and ends with a food-friendly finish. Just under 20,000 bottles were filled after 10 months of barrel aging in 36% new French oak.

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