Following Fellini: Seresin
Posted by Eleanor Field on 20 Feb 2020
With a successful career in creating stories for the screen, perhaps most notably the Oscar-winning and visually spectacular Gravity, it seems only natural that Michael Seresin would create wines with a narrative, weaving in elements from his own life while nurturing his passion for organics.
Inspired by the beauty deftly created by film-makers Fellini and Truffaut, Seresin was in his early twenties when he left his native New Zealand for Europe to pursue a career in film, subsequently gaining distinction as a cinematographer. Returning to New Zealand in 1992, he founded the estate bearing his name in the maritime province of Marlborough, and the vineyard has been farmed organically from the beginning, with biodynamic principles introduced soon after.
A “New World winery with an Old-World approach,” Seresin’s ethos of “good things come to those who wait” is reflected in both the way the grapes are fermented and the time the wine spends in bottle or barrel. Offering elegant expressions of Pinot Noir, feisty Sauvignon Blanc and graceful Chardonnay, this is New Zealand wine at its best.
For the Pinot devotees, ‘Leah’ Pinot Noir, named after Seresin’s daughter, offers bright, fragrant berry-fruit aromas with spice and herbal notes; while ‘Rachel’ Pinot Noir, named after his mother, exhibits aromas of black cherry, truffle and chocolate alongside a core of rich fruit, with savoury spice and herbal notes.
Seresin’s Sauvignon Blanc ranges from ripe yellow stone-fruit, soft passion fruit and a chalky, mineral complexity, with ripe gooseberry, tropical and citrus notes; to the Reserve, which displays some of the trademark Marlborough characters, with floral, citrus and passionfruit aromas all present, underpinned by a rich concentration and a flinty minerality.
All of Seresin’s Chardonnay barrels are tasted a year after vintage, with the finest selected to become the Reserve. Full of concentration and poise, the nose is savoury and complex, with finely balanced oak and just a hint of warm orchard fruit. Offering firm acidity and structure, this is a wine that will age gracefully.
Seresin’s love affair with the natural elements is one that stretches from his career as a cinematographer, or as he calls it ‘painting with light,’ to his unique approach to wine, and it is this, perhaps, that makes these wines truly special.