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TN: 2005 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay

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geo t.

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TN: 2005 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay

by geo t. » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:20 pm

Hamilton Russell Vineyards is the southern-most wine estate in Africa, and their wines reflect the remarkable terroir of their location.

(Allow me to digress briefly and share an ironic anecdote about this wine: well over a year ago, the local distributor brought a bottle of the 2004 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay by for me to try, and I loved it for many of the same reasons I love its successor, so I ordered up several for my retail shelves. None were delivered, because they were out of stock, leaving me to exclaim WTF!?! How do you promote a bottle of wine that’s not in stock?!

Fast forward to April 2007: I noticed that the wine noted below was in stock in the same distributor’s book, so I immediately ordered some up for my shelves without tasting them, betting on the winery’s rep for producing excellent wares and Vineyard Brands’ penchant for importing the same. My bet paid off, because I brought one home to try, and as noted, liked it so well, I picked up another four as well. I ordered up another batch for the shelf and, yup, they were out of stock. Oh well, like the old folk song goes, “I got mine…”)

2005 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay2005 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay, 13% alc., $23.99: Medium straw color, with an immediate, and very aromatic creamy, stony minerality apparent on the nose, fanning out on the palate to include some subtle butterscotch over pear, cream and what my better half describes as “a little bit of that canned pea thing;” medium-full body, with a creamy texture that belies the crisp acidity and good length on the finish. Much closer to white Burgundy in character than, say, California Chardonnay, and that’s fine with us. We opened three of these with three different sets of friends, and it was a big hit each time, particularly with smoky grilled chicken. Sourced from low-vigor, stony, clay-rich, shale-derived soil, seeing 8 months in 228 liter French oak barrels; 7,000 cases produced.

Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL

-from A Bunch o' Whites (and One Pinky)

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