Hemel-en-Aarde (Afrikaans for “Heaven and Earth”) is a tiny subregion of the Walker Bay district, located in South Africa’s Cape South Coast. Close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and a southerly latitude makes this scenic region a premier cool climate growing area for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Hamilton Russell is perhaps the benchmark producer here. Since 1976 they have been consistently delivering wines with incredible structure and finesse that rival the best in both the New and Old Worlds. The 2022 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay especially is a gorgeous example of a lean, finely structured Chardonnay, with pithy lemon zest notes and incredibly well-integrated oak. In this part of the world, the Benguela current (much like the Humboldt current in Northern California) cools the ocean which in turn cools the onshore winds that fan across the vineyards. As a result, the wines are incredibly racy, with fantastic tension on the palate. In a blind tasting, you might be forgiven for calling this wine Burgundy! The palate feel is so lean and nimble, with very fine, almost laser like acidity that calls to mind the best of Puligny Montrachet. If you haven’t yet tried a wine from Hamilton Russell, I highly encourage you to pick this one up, especially if you enjoy more mineral-driven styles of Chardonnay. This wine is so sophisticated and classy, it will likely reshape opinions of the potential of South African Chardonnay!

The 2022 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay is a distinctive white wine from the cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. On the palate, this wine comes across as very clean, with prominent notes of crisp green apple. It is structurally defined by a notable medium-plus acidity, giving it a vibrant and refreshing backbone. This acidity balances the winemaking influences, resulting in a focused and expressive Chardonnay.

There's a little bit of kind of light funk at the very start of this, that it takes a couple sniffs to get past, but once you're acclimated what's behind it is so incredibly pretty and worth the time you took. There's a soft and pretty green apple, honeyed lemon, a little bit of barrel, and then it all just integrates perfectly into a seamless single unit. The palate has amazing mouthfeel, really creamy and silky with a touch of barrel in the very back, but the front is that super classic apple and lemon combination with a sort of creaminess and softness to the fruit. There's acid, but it's laid back and kind of enjoying the whole party not really into getting super involved. This is a really well made and put together bottle of Chardonnay from South Africa, and something worth checking out if you're looking for the next adventure, or just want a nice bottle of Chardonnay.