2021 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
Opening with delightful red fruit essences that lift from the glass, the 2021 Pinot Noir is fresh, vibrant and lively with expressive, dusty florals and a juicy frame of cherries and raspberries. Medium-bodied and with 13.5% alcohol, the palate offers succulent acidity with fine-grained tannins. This Pinot Noir delivers a fantastic crystalline purity that has me coming back for more. The finish is still tight and will benefit from another year in the bottle, but don’t be too hasty to open this gorgeous Pinot.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir includes 12% whole bunch, the rest de-stemmed but not crushed, matured for nine months in barrel using 27% new oak. It has quite a potent nose with peppermint-tinged red fruit, fine purity and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy entry, mainly brambly red fruit, hints of tobacco and a touch of piquancy on the slightly chewy finish. Fine, but give it a couple of years in bottle.
The 2021 Pinot Noir, cropped at around 16hL/ha, has a pastille-like purity: strawberry and red cherries, touches of fresh fig and dates in the background lending a welcome soupçon of exoticism, though it retains Burgundian allure. The aromatics coalesce nicely in the glass. The palate is well balanced with sappy red fruit, just a little chewiness nicely integrates oak with a slightly candied finish, where readers might look for a little more substance. This deserves two or three years in bottle. The components are here, just add time.