2005 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir

The 2005 Pinot Noir has touches of wild forest and underbrush on the nose with a tincture of bay leaf and Japanese green tea. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins on the entry; pointed red cherry and strawberry fruit with good acidity. It is a little leafy and spicy towards the mushroom and truffle-scented finish and seems a little enervated with age. Drink now. Hamilton Russell put Hemel-en-Aarde and South African Pinot Noir on the map. Their first plantings were back in 1976 and they debuted with the 1981 vintage that deftly combined Old World and New. Their Chardonnay debuted in the early 1990s and when land came up for sale adjacent to the original estate, they used this vineyard to expand their range that includes the Ashbourne and Southern Right labels. Tasting verticals of their most recent vintages, my own impression is that their Chardonnay continues to rank amongst South Africa’s finest and in great vintages, their Pinot Noir can be utterly sublime and age as well as any great Burgundy. However, there is no escaping the fact that their Pinot Noir suffers under-ripeness in less benevolent, cooler vintages due to leaf-roll virus that was evident in the vineyards on my visit. Vinification is done through partial native yeasts and around 30-45% new oak is used with respect to both wines. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Alabama. Tel 205-949-6262.