The Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2011 has shown itself a fitting wine with which to celebrate our 30 vintages.
Although the wine has not been widely reviewed yet, we were proud to see it win a convincing first place in the “Top 12” Chardonnay Tasting held recently in South Africa. Organiser Frederic Dasse described the win as a “brilliant victory” given the almost unprecedented number of tasters who placed the wine 1st among the line-up of top South African Chardonnays.
Although the 2011 is more than half sold, it will be in the market and on wine lists for a while yet. In keeping with the character of the vintage, the 2011 has a particularly lifted fruit profile, but retains the tight, mineral character typical of Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay.
If you do encounter any remaining Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2010, the wine is drinking beautifully. The 2010 won the White Wine Trophy at the Classic Trophy Awards (all French judges) and won a gold medal on two of the UK’s major wine competitions – International Wine Challenge and the International Wine and Spirit Competition. The Wine Spectator Insider named our Chardonnay 2010 one of their “Hot Wines”, with a score of 93. Robert Parker also gave the 2010 a score of 93.