in the vineyard : Soil: Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil.
Not just a Chardonnay, but a classic, origin expressive wine
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay is different to most New World Chardonnays. Our stony, clay-rich, soil, cool maritime mesoclimate, naturally tiny yields of around 30 hl/ha and our philosophy of expressing our terroir in our wines – give rise to a tighter, drier, more complex mineral character and length to complement the varietal fruit. Many wine enthusiasts prefer this more ‘classic’ style to the round, viscous, vanilla and sweet fruit character of so many Chardonnays. For this reason, many knowledgeable enthusiasts around the world regard Hamilton Russell Vineyards as the best ‘Chardonnay’ in South Africa and one of the best in the New World.
Growing Season
For the Cape overall, the 2005 vintage has been characterized as hot, dry and early. This was not the case for our own vineyards and the growers where the grapes were sourced in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and in the Walker Bay. While the 2005 harvest was a little warmer than 2004, it was cooler than 2003. The average maximum temperature for December, January, February and March was 25 centigrade – exactly equal to our long-term averages for the period. January was however cooler than average. Rainfall was average for December, wet for January, average for February and dry for March.