The Hamilton-Russell Chardonnay of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in Hermanus was voted best white wine at the 2009 RMB WineX show in Johannesburg,  the fifth year in a row that it has been chosen as the favourite white wine of 1000 wines evaluated, by 16 000 visitors to the event.

The 2008 Chardonnay has won a Gold Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards and the Classic Wine Trophy Awards.  It also was awarded 5 stars by WINE magazine, one of only three Chardonnays achieving a 5-star rating since 1993, and the highest scoring of the three.

Harpers in the UK voted the Hamilton-Russell Chardonnay as one of the Top 20 Chardonnays in 2001, the only Chardonnay from South Africa.

Anthony Hamilton-Russell, owner of the Hamilton-Russell Vineyards, says:  “It is also gratifying to see that local enthusiasts see high merit in - what is for the New World - an almost uniquely classically styled Chardonnay with a high level of minerality and lower than usual alcohol for the top-end.  This supports our view that the top-end of the South African wine market is far more sophisticated than many believe it to be”.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

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