Rising from the ashes…Hamilton Russell Pinot noir

Grape growing is in essence a prolonged process of gambling with nature. No matter how good one gets at it, misfortune is sometimes unavoidable. And the extraordinary Hemel-en-Aarde Valley fire of January 2019, fanned by winds of up to 94 kilometres per hour, dealt us a hand we simply couldn’t play successfully. Our most important Pinot noir vineyards were directly in the path of the blaze. While we lost only around 10% of the crop to scorching of the canopies and bunches, we have needed to reject 84% of the Pinot noir we made from the remaining 90%, due to levels of smoke taint, which although not at all bad, we were not comfortable with.

Our immediate analysis of the levels of the most significant contributors to smoke taint on the Hamilton Russell Vineyards grapes showed very low readings and we decided to do our best with the grapes - working extra gently and reducing skin contact to a minimum. Perceivable smoke taint does however have a way of escalating over time, so as a precaution, we decided for the first time to purchase the very best Pinot noir grapes we could find in the 3 Hemel-en-Aarde appellations from vineyards unaffected by the fire. We needed at least to have something for our customers. We were extremely touched by the willingness of our colleagues in the area to sell us small quantities of their best grapes. We have made an excellent Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Pinot noir, albeit in a reduced quantity, from these purchased grapes.

This wine from purchased grapes cannot be a Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot noir, because Vineyards refers to our 52 hectare, clay and iron-rich “monopole”. It will simply be Hamilton Russell Pinot noir and carry the Walker Bay appellation - which is a requirement if grapes from more than one of the 3 Hemel-en-Aarde appellations are used in a wine. A first for us and hopefully a last. In fact, the first time ever all three Hemel-en-Aarde appellations have been part of one wine. Force Majeure dictated.

View the youtube clip below where Anthony Hamilton Russell personally presents the Hamilton Russell Pinot noir.