In 1975, Tim Hamilton Russell bought an undeveloped 170-hectare patch of land in Cape Province as far south and as close to the Southern Ocean as he could, with the intention of making wine from noble European grapes – pinot noir, chardonnay and, initially, sauvignon blanc. 

The spot, near Hermanus, two hours’ drive southeast of Cape Town, was not covered in vineyards like Stellenbosch or Franschhoek. Tim’s son, Anthony, who took over in 1991, says, ‘It was an impoverished area. No one was making wine there – even when I took over. Now there are almost 30 different wineries, and we have our own appellation: Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.’

It was by no means expected that Anthony would take over from his father. He recalls, ‘South Africa in the 1980s was a pretty nasty place to be. I was lucky enough to have an Irish passport, so I came to work in the UK, with no real intention of going back. But Mandela’s release opened my mind to the idea of returning. Ultimately, South Africa is in my blood – and I was homesick.’

The Hamilton Russell family were arguably the exception that proved the rule of the 1980s Spitting Image view (‘I’ve never met a nice South African…’). Following a proud tradition of fighting oppression (a British relative who campaigned for Irish Home Rule; and Anthony’s great-great-aunt, Violet Gibson, who attempted to assassinate Mussolini), the Hamilton Russells firmly opposed apartheid. ‘My uncle was jailed for his part in an underground resistance movement, and my grandfather was an opposition MP who walked out of parliament in protest at the “detention without trial” law.’ 

On his return to South Africa, in the runup to the country’s first free elections in 1994, Anthony Hamilton Russell took a new approach to winemaking: identifying 52 hectares of stony, red clay-rich soil; narrowing the varietals to only pinot noir and chardonnay, which best suited those plots; and establishing Hamilton Russell Estate as a monopole – ie only vinifying grapes they have grown themselves.

‘The ocean acts as an air conditioning system – my house is just 1,500m from the sea and you get cooling winds coming in from the Antarctic. But climate is not why we make wines the way we do. The reason is that 400-million-year-old shale that forms the soil – very rich in iron, clay content similar to Côte de Nuits in Burgundy.’

He hesitates at the mention of the French region. ‘I admit I’m not always comfortable placing our wine in a Burgundy context instead of letting it stand on its own merits but, back in the 1990s, it helped us get past the understandable resistance to South African produce. Now, it’s that Burgundy is a more accurate comparison than to, say Oregon or Otago. We don’t have the extreme fruit of other New World pinots, more of the spice and structure.’ 

Although sold in 68 countries, the number of bottles produced by Hamilton Russell Estates is limited because of the self-imposed restrictions, designed to keep the quality high. Hence demand is higher than supply – particularly for the pinot noir vintages. Over 30 Michelin-starred restaurants in France (who, presumably, are not struggling to get hold of Burgundian-style pinot noir or chardonnay) can’t be wrong. Nor can Platter’s South African Wine Guide (the undisputed authority on that country), in the current edition of which, Hamilton Russell is winery of the year.

But which of the Hamilton Russell pinot noir vintages is best? There’s only one way to find out: a flight!

2005 – ‘After 20 years, you have the development of that savory, umami character beyond just pure fruit. The 2000s were a time of excess in winemaking – in the New World and Old World alike. Winemakers won’t admit they follow fashions, but I would say, “Look at your photograph albums and see what hairstyle you sported, mate.” The 2000s were a time of a little more wood, a little more sweetness, a little bit more ego in the wines. And you feel that in our ’05 – a little bit of density and texture.’ AHR

2006 – ‘The ’06 was very much a muscular, robust, mildly rustic vintage. I remember Jancis Robinson particularly liked this one at the time.’ AHR

2007 – This placed 52nd in the Wine Spectator 100 Wines of the Year, which at the time was the highest placed South African wine ever. It’s since been beaten by a 32nd placing… by Hamilton Russell chardonnay 2012.

2010 – ‘This is one I’ve always liked… It’s something between that more muscular character and the more sensuous style that sometimes comes with vintage.’ AHR

2012 – Another high scorer with Wine Spectator.

2018 – ‘This has a lot of tannins, not extracted from wood but from the natural effect of the iron in the soil.’ AHR

2020 – ‘This was a controversial vintage for us. Initially, we didn’t like it very much. It was light, under 13 per cent alcohol. And not giving us the aromas we wanted. But there was nothing wrong with it and we resisted using our aesthetic prejudice to reject it. We had it reviewed by Tim Atkin over Zoom, because of lockdown, and we were nervous, I can tell you. He lowered his glasses, looked at us like a headmaster about to cane us and asked, “What did you do differently in this vintage?… Because I think it’s the best pinot noir you’ve made.” The relief! And 2020’s got better and better.’

2022 – ‘I think this is going to be one of our great, age-worthy wines – it hasn’t told us everything it knows yet.’ AHR

2023 – ‘That was a challenging vintage for South African wine. An unusually early rain that came before the end of August really affected Stellenbosch’s cabernet farmers. We got our last pinot noir grapes in literally the day before those heavy rains fell.’ AHR

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Hamilton Russell at 67 Pall Mall

Anthony Hamilton Russell was speaking at a vertical tasting of pinot noir vintages at 67 Pall Mall in London, which is also celebrating a milestone this year: 10 years since opening. 

‘We’ve worked with 67 Pall Mall since the beginning. The owner, Grant Ashton, has visited the Estate, years ago. And, because the club has such a good relationship with our distributor Mentzendorff, this is the only place I’ve been able to taste so many of our vintages together, apart from on our property.’

The members’ club for wine enthusiasts holds regular events with leading makers and experts. In July alone, in addition to the club’s ever-popular Summer Party, 67 Pall Mall will be hosting Jules and Cameron Ashmead from Barossa’s Elderton winery; “A Taste of the Loire” with sommelier and author Pascaline Lepeltier; and Henri Giraud’s cellarmaster Sébastien Le Golvet celebrating 400 years of the champagne maison. 

It’s not all wine though – there is an evening dedicated to English cheeses; a Cuban cigar rolling masterclass; and a screening of the film A Sip of Irish. And that’s only July. Members can also join exclusive trips – South Africa in August; Alba for barolo, barbaresco and truffles in November, for example – as well as benefitting from reciprocal entry to 67 Pall Mall clubs in Singapore, Verbier and the future sites of Beaune, Bordeaux, Shanghai and Melbourne.

Anyone interested in membership can apply via this form.

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