Tesselaarsdal, owned and operated by Berene Sauls is named after the small village where she grew up. Tesselaarsdal is situated 24 km North East of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hermanus in the Overberg region. The village has a unique history, East India Company settler Johannes Tesselaar, left his land to his freed slaves to farm upon his death in 1810.
After working at Hamilton Russell vineyards in various roles for 15 years, Anthony Hamilton Russell offered to assist Berene in starting her own wine business in the Hemel-en-Aarde area. The 2015 Pinot Noir was the first vintage produced with the help and support of Hamilton Russell Vineyards wine maker, Emul Ross and the Hamilton Russell Vineyards’ team. Grapes are purchased from Babylon Vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge area until the vineyards planted in Tesselaardsal mature and are ready for harvest.
The 2015 Pinot Noir extremely well received with praise from many wine experts, most notably from Greg Sherwood MW stating on his social media that the wine is “next SA Pinot noir icon”.
Berene released her first Chardonnay in 2019 to similar praise. Again, the grapes are sourced from the the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge until her vineyards are ready. The nod to Burgundy is acknowledged as Berene notes “We often reference to Burgundy and I suppose my palate is very much shaped by these great wines.”
Berene’s focus will be on Pinot Noir as the climate and soil type are ideal for this well known and loved, but incredibly fickle grape.
Tesselaarsdal Wines have garnered much praise in a short time and that is a testament to the drive, passion and hard work of the incredible force that is Berene.
Berene continues to work at Hamilton Russell Vineyards as part of the export and logistics team.
Berene Sauls is a testament to hard work, belief, faith, and a simmering vision for greatness.
Greg Sherwood, December 2020
Anthony Hamilton Russell introduced Berene Sauls at the winery a few years ago when she had just made her first vintage in 2015. It was immediately clear that Sauls knew her way around a winery; the wines were very promising. The backstory to Tesselaarsdal Wines is worth relating. Sauls is a descendent of freed slaves that worked for the Dutch East India Company who were given land by the widow of soldier Johannes Tesselaar in 1832. Sauls herself is a single mum with two sons, so this is no vanity project, but the realisation of an ambition to create a successful winery from scratch. “I am from Overberg,” she tells me. “I just bought a 16-hectare property where I made some bore holes that revealed about 8 hectares of soils that can be potentially planted with vines. I’ve just finalised the plans for the cellar with a 60-ton capacity. Nothing is planted at the moment, and it might not provide everything for Tesselaarsdal.” Sauls has an energetic, bubbly personality that’s quite infectious. It would mean little if the wines were average, yet she definitely has the knack when it comes to handling fickle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Both come recommended.
Neal Martin, September 2022