Hamilton Russell Vineyards – one of the most southerly wine Estates in Africa and one of the closest to the sea – pioneered viticulture and winemaking in the beautiful, cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village and seaside resort of Hermanus. We specialise in producing highly individual, terroir driven Pinot noir and Chardonnay, which are widely regarded as the best in South Africa and among the finest in the New World, bearing, in the opinion of many, an uncanny resemblance to red and white Burgundy despite their “New World” provenance.

Anthony Hamilton Russell, the second generation family owner of the property, took over from his father, Tim Hamilton Russell, in 1991, and bought the property from the family in 1994. Tim originally purchased the undeveloped 170 hectare property in 1975, after an exhaustive search for the most southerly site on which to make South Africa’s top cool climate wines from a selection of noble varieties. Anthony narrowed their focus to Pinot noir and Chardonnay only and registered Hamilton Russell Vineyards as an Estate, committing to work only with grapes from their terroir. Extensive soil research initiated in 1994, identified 52 hectares of stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil on the property as optimal for the individual, origin expressive style they aim for and all plantings have now been limited to this soil type. This 52 hectares on the 170 hectare property, is in effect a “monopole” reflected through a single red and a single white – which happen to be Pinot noir and Chardonnay. They are the most beautiful possible expressions of this special piece of ground unusually close to the cold South Atlantic – at closest only 1,500 meters away.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards is proudly a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Conservation Champion and a pioneer of organic farming in the Hemel-en-Aarde. With 40 consecutive vintages and with small amounts of wine available in more than 55 countries, the team is also proud to be celebrating more than 22 years working with Frank Matthys and his carefully chosen portfolio of small, quality focused, like-minded sustainability conscious properties from around the world.