A phenomenal, plush chardonnay

published 26 June 2020

2019 Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa

£21.67 in bond per bottle, farrvintners.com; £22.50 in bond per bottle, uncorked.co.uk; £33.40, hedonism.co.uk; £35.99, thornewines.com; £34.99, harrogatefinewinecompany.com

In particularly challenging vintages there is an outside chance that a winery can make truly remarkable wines. Some estates find it impossible to step up, but others, in the face of adversity, have the confidence, experience and sometimes luck to make the inspired decisions that result in remarkable outcomes.

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In 2019, Hamilton Russell managed to swerve potentially catastrophic damage from smoke taint caused by a massive fire in January. An unusually warm May, June and July affected chardonnay dormancy and the resulting bud break was extremely uneven. In addition, the vintage was cooler than 2017 and 2018. Rainfall was lower than average, too, but during harvest, frequent showers caused sustained high humidity. HR’s organic treatments proved highly effective against the threat of mildew. They also picked the day before the skies opened, too.

While the chardonnay crop was 44% down, this is the most remarkable HR chardonnay I have ever tasted. With stunning depth and juiciness, plush, but controlled oak and serious length, this is a phenomenal creation. There is exquisite balance here, too, and all of this class and luxury sits atop stiletto-sharp acidity and a restrained 13.2% alcohol level. Pound for pound, this wine is in contention for Chardonnay of the Year. “Against all odds” is a recurring theme for this terrific winery.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

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Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.