Hamilton Russell Vineyards

Hamilton Russell Vineyards – one of the southernmost wine estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea – was a pioneer in viticulture and winemaking in the beautiful, cool, maritime appellation of Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. The estate specializes in producing highly individual, terroir-driven Pinot noir and Chardonnay, which are widely regarded as some of the best in the New World, while sometimes bearing an uncanny resemblance to classic Old World Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

Owner, Anthony Hamilton Russell, took over from his father and founder, Tim Hamilton Russell in 1991, and purchased the property from the family in 1994. Tim originally bought the undeveloped 170-acre estate in 1975 and was the pioneering vintner in the Heaven-and-region. -Earth Valley with their first vintage in 1981. Anthony narrowed their focus to just Pinot noir and Chardonnay and registered Hamilton Russell Vineyards as an 'Estate', committing to working only with grapes from their terroir. Extensive soil testing in 1994 identified 52 hectares of grapes. stony, iron and clay-rich, shale-derived soil as optimal for the individual, classical, expressive style of origin they strive for. The team focuses on producing a single-estate-grown Pinot noir and a single-estate-grown Chardonnay as a red-and-white expression of their 52-acre monopole on their 170-acre estate.

Anthony with his wife Olive, winemaker Emul Ros