2007 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir

The sublime 2007 Pinot Noir demonstrates greater mineralite on the nose compared to the previous vintage. There is wonderful tension and scents of red currant, tomato leaf and sage. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins. There is good acidity and harmony with the oak dancing in tune with a natural, crisp red berried fruit and a grainy, refined, tertiary finish that is very Old World. Drink now-2016+ 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.

Moderately saturated medium red. Complex, highly aromatic nose combines vibrant red berries, incense, cherry, flowers, spices, and a note of eucalyptus. Juicy and very intense but magically light on its feet; the pungent red berry and pepper flavors spread out to coat the palate without any impression of weight (where's the 14% alcohol?). This soil-driven wine is extremely young and should put on weight with four or five years of cellaring. Very distinctive and stylish pinot with fine-grained tannins and terrific finishing energy and perfume.