Pinot Noir

Grilled Norwegian salmon with a soy ginger sauce, mushroom risotto, guinea fowl pie.

The 2021 growing season had a fair amount of rain falling before the grapes started to ripen. This did not have a negative effect as the natural irrigation helped to reduce stress levels on the vines, allowing them to function optimally during the ripening period. The accumulation of cold units in the early winter was fantastic for breaking dormancy. Winter rainfall was lower than the previous season but still sufficient to replenish soil profiles. The vineyards had even budburst, and the initial growth was also even, mainly due to higher than the normal maximum and minimum temperatures during September. Grape quality was very favourable, leading to an exceptional vintage.

9.5 months - 100% 228L French Oak Barrels 1st fill: 35% 2nd fill: 29% 3rd fill: 29% 4th fill: 7%.

Tesselaarsdal was founded in 2015 by long-standing Hamilton Russell Vineyards employee Berene Sauls. This wine is named after the historic Overberg farming hamlet of Tesselaarsdal not far from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge wine appellation in which Berene was born – a descendant of the freed slaves who were bequeathed the land by former East India Company settler Johannes Tesselaar in 1810. Extreme care is taken to ensure this small-production classically styled Pinot noir expresses the personality of the cool maritime Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge from un-irrigated vines and its elevated stony clay and iron-rich soils.