2008 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 93 PointsWine of Origin Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Walker Bay
On Friday 14th November 2008 I was offered the opportunity to have a first hand preview and tasting of the 2008 Chardonnay, with owner Anthony Hamilton Russell, a tank and a barrel sample.
Still in it’s embryonic phase, with the lees still in suspension.
As we all know great wine start in the vineyard and nowhere is it more prominent, in the Cape besides Cape Point Vineyard, when it comes to show sense of place and the mystery of terroir more prevalent than Hamilton Russell Vineyards.
The estate Chardonnay, one of the top 30 Chardonnay’s of the world (including Burgundy, my selection) is born on a combination of stony clay and shale derived soil, imparting a low vigour to the vine, thus directing all the energy to where they should be, the Chardonnay berries……
At the time of the tasting what strike me was the austerity, Burgundian for sure, but more akin to a Grand Cru Les Clos Chablis.
The other revelation was the palate structure, tense, precise, focus, a sleeping giant waiting to wake up, it was a question of time…
With regards to the viticulture side, one of the most interesting aspect and something to be applauded are the low yields, a mere 3.16 ton / hectare, little less than half of the majority of Cape average, and the sooner South African wine producer will realise, that great wine is not born from high yields or 6 ton plus, the better it will be for the image of South African wines in an international context, if they want to play with the big boys.
Considering the maximum yield of a white Grand Cru Burgundy is set at 35 hectolitre hectare, the 2008 Hamilton Russell was only 21.5 hectolitre, per hectare, this is very serious concentrated stuff, the essence of terroir or should I call it obsession through perfection, for a monumental cause.
I tasted the final wine, bottle and ready for market in February 2008:
100 % barrel fermented in 228 litre French oak, of which 31% was new, for 8 month, the main forest use was Allier, from 4 different coopers, namely Francois Freres, Mercurey, Dargaud and Jaegle.
Clear, day bright, pale straw with green tinge, medium concentration, medium viscosity.
Clean, high plus intensity, with complex notes of citrus medley, fleur d’oranger, bergamot, hints of crunchy pear, ripened apples, fragrant white peach, white minerals and soupcon of butter.
Subtly wooded, small French oak evident, but focus, expertly handle.
Dry, high natural acidity, (an impressive 7 gram / L Total Acid, here we are in premier league for sure when it comes to top world class Chardonnay) precise, high complexity, textured, with intense mouth feel, complimented by striking freshness, tight with a minerality profile , I have never encountered before in a Cape Chardonnay.
Now where does this wine fit in?
Overall a highly complex Cape Chardonnay with an elegant final, a wine exuding confidence and extrovert personality, reminiscent of a Meursault richness (the New World provenance, lends that richness) with the austerity, precision and freshness of a Corton as well as the X Factor of a Montrachet, what a balancing act ! Well done.
This is the greatest Cape Chardonnay, I have tasted to date, and will be a very hard act to follow by any other South African wineries, it reminds me a lot of the stunning and world class 2001 and to a lesser extent the 2006 and 2005, which when re-tasted blind last winter 2008, was simply impressive with mind blowing complexity and structure
The 2008 will follow, and I reckoned will cellar even better as it shows a pH of only 3.01, which is very low by Cape standards, this will reward sheer drinking pleasure, if kept under optimum cellaring condition, to 2019+.
Last but not least, the price factor at roughly 20% of the cost of a Grand Cru Burgundy, it is an absolute bargain, for any Sommeliers or private collectors who is serious about their wines, do not think twice.
TOMATO CATERING Suggest:
Duo of grilled firm white fish (Kingklip, Turbot, Sea bass, bream) and medaillon of rock lobster in white sauce, lightly enhanced with Reblonchon, lime zest, toasted almond flake and grape seed oil
To know more about TOMATO CATERING, please contact Stacey Chan at lemonthym@gmail.com
