Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay a Wine Spectator Top 100 wine for 2012!

Thursday, 22 November, 2012
Talita Engelbrecht
The Hamilton Russell Vineyards team was extremely proud to hear that their Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay was chosen as one of the “Year’s Most Exciting Wines” for the 2012 Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines worldwide.
At position number 32 their Chardonnay is the second highest placed Chardonnay out of only five on the Top 100 and has achieved the highest place to date for a South African Wine. This beats the previous most highly placed South African wine, their 2007 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot noir.

The Top 100 is not based solely on a wine’s score. A panel of editors debates a wine’s position and worthiness for inclusion, based on quality, value and excitement. Our 2010 scored 93/100. The Top 100 Wines are the front-runners in a line-up of more than 17,000 wines tasted over the year.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay was also recognised locally, winning the Classic Wine Trophy Award (only French Judges) for Best South African White Wine and the South African Chardonnay Trophy at the International Wine Challenge.

Overall, Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay is White Wine of the Year in South Africa, based on the South African Wine Index, which looks at 44 different national and international reviews and competitions over a 3 year period to come up with a composite score.

Their current vintage of Chardonnay, the 2011 – our 30th – is very much a worthy successor to the 2010, scoring 5 stars in Platter’s South African Wine Guide and 93/100 from wine review online, who had this to say about the wine: This Chardonnay proves compelling year after year, with the current 2011 vintage perhaps the best to date. The wine is rich and lush, with buttery undertones, and more than a hint of spice from barrel aging. But it’s also beautifully balanced, with crisp, underlying acidity keeping everything in check. There is nothing remotely blowsy or heavy-handed about it. Instead, the wine is an example of New World Chardonnay at a very high level.”