Hemel-en-Aarde Fine Pinot & Chardonnay Case

Hamilton Russell – pioneers of viticulture in the Cape South Coast’s Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – is one of South Africa’s most respected estates. The 2023 displays bright citrus and lemon balm character on the nose, complimented by subtle vanilla notes and a hint of hazelnut, leading to a creamy yet refreshing entry to the palate. Long and linear with a vivid acidity running through and a stony minerality, this is predominantly about pure citrus fruit but just nudges towards a riper expression of mango, too. A class act from a benchmark producer in a beautiful white-wine vintage in the Hemel-en-Aarde.

Hannes Storm, former winemaker at the legendary Hamilton Russell, is the only producer in the Hemel-en-Aarde to produce wines from all three current regions of the valley – Valley, Upper, and Ridge. His ‘Vrede’ pinot noir comes from Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on clay and limestone soils that produce the lightest and most aromatic of his three pinot noirs. Using 10% whole cluster, with 25% new oak, this is pale in colour and red-fruit driven with aromas and flavours of cranberry, crushed strawberry, five-spice and forest floor starting to develop. Best served lightly chilled in a large glass.

Windansea often delivers the deeper, darker style of the pair of Newton Johnson single-vineyard pinots. Coming from shallower soils comprising free-draining sandy topsoil with a clay band underneath, and clay closer to the surface than in the Seadragon plot, the 2024 is more restrained than Seadragon, even a little reclusive in comparison, showing darker flavour to the cherry and plum fruit, as well as edgier tannins. Dry and vigorous, with a more blocky structure and broader shoulders, this is a saline, mineral pinot with a twist of bitter herbs. Subtle new French oak brings a luxuriant texture. A pinot for keeping if you can.

Glenn is Carolyn and Jean-Claude (JC) Martin’s son – and Glenn’s Chardonnay comes from the same vineyard as Creation’s The Art of Chardonnay in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, debuting with the 2020 vintage which was his first year (properly) in the cellar with JC. Representing a different interpretation of the same block, it is entirely wild-fermented and made in even smaller quantities than The Art. Wonderfully tangy and energetic, with green-apple skin and a salted lemon core, this is both a more savoury and nervier expression of chardonnay than its sibling, with just-ripe white peach fruit and white-miso undertones on the long, flinty finish. It wears its oak subtly and is already complex and exciting.

From Creation’s oldest vineyard in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, this 22-year-old virus-free pinot noir block will likely become the oldest pinot in South Africa, according to Jean-Claude Martin. A mini-vertical of six vintages, from the 2019 through to the 2024, illustrated what fantastic terroir this is, just next door to Crystallum’s Cuvée Cinéma vineyard, on decomposed Bokkeveld shale. The 2024 was one of the highlights in what was a superb line-up; wonderfully perfumed with rose petals and potpourri, orange zest and pink grapefruit. Fine-boned, medium-bodied and supremely elegant pinot, with such brightness and clarity of red fruit, and enlivening acidity. While the five- to six-year-old vintages show that a savoury, sous-bois character emerges here with bottle age, this is all about pure, precise primary fruit at this young stage, with subtly integrated new oak bringing a sprinkling of sweet spice and luxuriant texture.

Ava Marie comes from a two-hectare block of chardonnay planted in 1998 and 1999 on the Wessels family’s Restless River farm, making it the oldest chardonnay in the Hemel-en-Aarde. A wine of grand cru dimensions, the 2023 shows a crystalline purity and precision, evoking icy waterfalls with its bracing and invigorating freshness. A whisper of flintiness compliments lemon, white peach and green apple fruit on the nose, while there is some orange citrus character and a wet-stone minerality on the palate. This brings together superb tension with significant weight; artfully employed oak takes a back seat in terms of flavour but brings a creaminess and cohesion to the mouthfeel. The Wessels take two to three weeks to harvest this block, as even within this one certified single vineyard there is lots of diversity of soils, as well as both north and south aspects. ‘We know the nuances of the block,’ says Craig, explaining how their approach to farming here is to get to know each vine individually. We believe that is one of the Cape’s finest chardonnays.