Provenance

Wine Cellar Private Client

Critics Ratings

‘Clothed in silk, striking 2015 shimmers & rustles unhindered by (but does not lack) form & vibrancy for beneficial ageing. Bright cherries, spice & whisper of mint are characteristic but perfectly in tune with the whole & 42% new French oak. A tour de force, raising the bar on 2014 (4.5 stars, 92 pts).’ - Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2017, 5*

‘Gorgeous, with a silky, persistent and racy structure guiding alluring rooibos tea, blood orange, damson plum and singed wood spice notes along. An iron edge underscores the elegant finish. Already approachable, but there's no rush. Drink now through 2020.’ – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 93/100 (Sep 2016)

‘After the uncomfortably warm 2016 season, 2017 was more balanced and temperate in Walker Bay and its three key Hemel-en-Aarde wards, of which this is the lowest and most maritime. The wine is translucent red in colour, with dark, alluring plum and raspberry fruits and soft spice. On the palate the wine is intense, vivid and fresh, with the lyricism and lift which should always characterise this variety, and without the over-dry, abrupt finish and lingering fruitless warmth which can often creep into Pinot produced under very sunny skies. You find ample gathered intensity and energy of fruit here, but no clumsiness. That finesse lasts through to a graceful, stealthy finish. In contrast to other producers, Anthony Hamilton Russell doesn’t believe in cherry-picking individual parcels for a series of special cuvée wines, so this is a synopsis of the best of the estate’s Pinot fruit.’ – Andrew Jefford, Decanter.com, 93/100 (Feb 2019)

‘After some disappointments in recent years, the Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir seems to be back on track under the hand of Emul Ross. Using a fruit salad of clones, and benefiting from more unvirused material and less obvious wood, it’s savoury, structured and complex with an undertone of mint and ferrous concentration. Drink: 2017-24’ - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2016, 94/100