Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2012

Our low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soil, cool maritime mesoclimate, naturally tiny yields of under 30 hl/ha and our philosophy of expressing our terroir in our wines – give rise to a certain tightness, tannin line and elevated length to balance the richness and generosity of our Pinot noir. Our Pinot noir is not overtly fruity, soft and “sweet” and it generally shows hints of that alluring savoury “primal” character along with a dark, spicy, complex primary fruit perfume.


variety : Pinot Noir [ 100% Pinot Noir ]
winemaker : Hannes Storm
wine of origin : Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
analysis : alc : 14.09 % vol  rs : 3.25 g/l  pH : 3.42  ta : 6.01 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Mineral   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

All Hamilton Russell Vineyards wines are grown, made, matured, bottled and labeled by Hamilton Russell Vineyards on the Hamilton Russell Vineyards Estate.

in the vineyard : Soil: Low-vigour, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil
Overall, 2012 was an excellent vintage with a rich generosity of texture and wonderful depth of fruit. Drier than usual conditions in the last stages of winter and early spring reduced disease risk during pruning and bud-break. Good early summer rains helped with growth and flowering was problem free. January was warmer and drier than usual, resulting in healthy disease free berry and bunch development. 

about the harvest: 
The harvest in general was cooler than 2011, equal to 2009, and at 24.98°C, very nearly equal to our long term average of 25° C – the average maximum temperatures for December, January, February and March. Yeild: 2.0tons/ha, 14hl/ha

in the cellar : Barrel Maturation 100%
Barrel Ageing 10 months
Malolactic 100%: 1st fill 39%  2nd fill 33% 3rd fill 28%
Wooding 100% 228 litre French Oak Barrels, Tight Grain 100% 
French Coopers:  Francois Freres 60%  Mercurey 19% Billon 9% Chassin 6%
Yield 2.0 tons/ha, 14 hl/ha
Production 3676 x 12 cases

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Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
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Pinot Noir