Nevermind ever hearing abour Tesselaarsdal before, I had never heard of Tesselaarsdal Wines before. But I got to sit down with owner & winemaker Berene Sauls on a lovely Spring morning whilst visit in the Hemel en Aarde Valley.
The story of Tesselaarsdal Wines starts about 24km North East of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley back in 1810 actually, where Johannes Tesselaar bequeathed his farmland to his servants & slaves. Berene decided to honour the legacy by giving that name to her wine, as this is the small village that she grew up in.
Start off her discovery into winemaking in 2001, when she was only 19, when she initially joined Hamilton Russel Vineyards as the family Au Pair. But there were bigger plans for her - she quickly moved over to the admin side of estate & took charge of exports, labelling & the warehousing. Slowly the intrigue in wine started to grow whilst experiencing the unique aspects of the business - from grape to bottle.
15 years later Anthony Hamilton Russel gave Berene the opportunity to start her own venture. From scratch, on her own time, she was responsible for it all. But she had the opportunity that she could not pass by. Fast forward another few years - now Berene owns a plot of land in Tesselaarsdal & will be the future home for her vineyards.
At present grapes are bought in from Babylon Vineyards & Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, until the vines in Tesselaarsdal are ready for their 1st harvest. It's all very exciting & whilst chatting to Berene, you can hear the joy & pride in her voice. At the same time, it is completely understandable that this has not been an easy journey & that there have been times where it seemed almost impossible that she would realise this dream of hers. However - here I sit on a #WineRoutingWithLloyd trip with Berene, sipping on her wine & toasting her current & future success!
The current focus, as one would expect in the region - small production of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir. But don't be fooled - it's not what you would normally expect. Something different & something unique; something you'll love that really expresses the personality of the region, from the vines to the terroir.
- 2020 Pinot Noir -
What a beautiful savoury minerality & full of texture on the palate, with a nose of ripe red fruits (cranberries & plums) accompanied by that touch of spice. Aging on this wine would only have the wine develop deeper in the bottle & accentuate those aromas & flavours.
- 2020 Chardonnay -
Not the expected nose at first, but rather fruity with hints at a mix of some citrus. A gentle entry on the palate, with expressive flavours developing with each sip. Not over powering wood on this one - with some aging done in concrete eggs instead of wood, which I think also adds to that minerality feel.
I do need to mention that the label also tells a beautiful story about Tesselaarsdal & all the imagery is specific to the farm. The aloes, the church, the mountains & the people. Everything plays a part here & is essential in defining the brand, just like those things are essential things that defined Berene whilst growing up.
#WineRoutingWithLloyd is driven by the #KiaSonet
No comments:
Post a Comment