Pinot Noir

Grilled Norwegian Salmon with a Soy Ginger sauce, Mushroom Risotto, Guinea Fowl Pie.

This stellar vintage was later and cooler than usual. Based on our measure of temperature, the average of the maximum temperatures for the 4 hottest months (crucial to harvest) Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, 2021 came in at 24.3 Centigrade. This compares to 24.8 Centigrade for a long-term average of the equivalent period in Burgundy. In the last 25 years, only 2001, 2004 and 2008 have been cooler. Winter was wetter than usual with 140mm more rain than average, filling dams and building the water table beautifully. Chill units started accumulating later than usual and a cool Spring and later budding accounted for the later harvest. A warm January was a welcome help towards healthy ripening. Any disease pressure from rain showers during ripening was effectively controlled organically. Yields, as always for us, were low. The Pinot noir harvest finished 10 days later than 2020, and the Chardonnay harvest finished 8 days later. Fruit quality and acidity were exceptional for both. The 2021 wines stand out for their complex, layered elegance, purity and mineral liveliness.

Barrel Ageing: 10 Months. 1st fill: 29% 2nd fill: 28% 3rd fill: 36% 4th fill: 7%

Less skin contact; More gentle extraction; Inoculation with Hamilton Russell Sauvage wild yeast strain.

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.