Hemel-en-Aarde
'Heaven and Earth' valley
- Soil
- Clay-rich, weathered shale and granite, cooled by Walker Bay's ocean breeze.
- Style
- Elegant, perfumed, Burgundy-leaning Pinot Noir and tight, mineral Chardonnay.
- Top sites
- Three wards rise inland from Hermanus: Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Upper, Ridge.
- Vintages
- 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Producers
- Bouchard FinlaysonStormCrystallum
Tip · South Africa's Pinot capital: cool ocean air off Walker Bay and clay soils make the Cape's most Burgundian reds and whites, near the whale-watching town of Hermanus.
Value pick
Crystallum 'Peter Max' Pinot Noir · ~$30
Bright, perfumed, finely structured cool-climate Pinot from a rising Hemel-en-Aarde name — Burgundy class for the money.
Collector pick
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir · ~$60 · 2021
The Cape's benchmark Burgundian Pinot — the most collected South African Pinot Noir.