Seresin Estate

Michael Seresin was born in Wellington, New Zealand, but left in the 1960s when sheep, not grapevines, dominated the Wairau Plains. He settled in Italy, where living among Tuscan wine culture ignited a lifelong passion for food and wine. After a bottle of Cloudy Bay caught his attention while dining at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, he visited Marlborough and fell in love with the region. He purchased land in the Wairau Valley in the early 1990s, immediately began planting vines, and imported Tuscan olive varieties alongside significant plantings of native species. Seresin Estate was officially established in 1992, releasing its first vintage in 1996, making it one of the first wineries in New Zealand to operate organic vineyards.

• Founded 1992 by Wellington-born cinematographer Michael Seresin, who built his career in Italy and on international film sets
• First vintage released 1996; one of the first NZ producers to operate certified organic vineyards
• Michael Seresin's film credits include Angela's Ashes and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Raupo Creek Vineyard awarded the Marlborough Environment Award by the Marlborough District Council in 2009

Seresin operates under full biodynamic principles, viewing the 80-hectare Raupo Creek property as one holistic organism whose health depends on the balance of all its individual parts. The estate is not a monoculture but a diverse farm with olive groves, vegetable gardens, native wetlands, and animal pastures. It currently boasts 1,500 olive trees, 50 sheep, several dozen chickens, and a handful of cows and goats, all of which feed into the organic and biodynamic culture. Spraying schedules and bottling are timed according to lunar phases. Seresin is one of only two New Zealand estates accepted into Nicolas Joly's La Renaissance des Appellations, the selective group of terroir-driven, biodynamic producers, alongside Millton Vineyards.

• Certified Demeter biodynamic and BioGro organic; largest biodynamic vineyard in Marlborough
• Farm animals roam between vines; compost teas, biodynamic preparations, and horse-drawn spraying equipment used across the property
• Biodynamic spraying and bottling timed according to lunar calendar phases
• One of two NZ members of Nicolas Joly's La Renaissance des Appellations, alongside Millton Vineyards

Winemaker Tamra Kelly-Washington, a Lincoln University top scholar who began her career at Seresin before gaining experience in the USA, Australia, and Italy, returned to the estate in time for the 2018 harvest. Working with viticulturist Cameron Vawter, the focus is on precise picking decisions, embracing natural acidity, and guiding pristine fruit through the winery with minimal handling. All wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Raupo Creek Vineyard's combination of clay-rich hillside slopes, ideal for concentrated Pinot Noir, and finer sandy silt-loam flats for white varieties creates the terroir-driven house style. The Sauvignon Blanc includes a portion of Semillon and sees up to 30% fermentation in neutral French oak barrels.

• Tamra Kelly-Washington, winemaker since 2018 harvest; Lincoln University top scholar with experience in USA, Australia, and Italy
• Native yeast fermentation throughout; unfined, unfiltered bottling; minimal sulfur additions
• Clay-rich hillside slopes for Pinot Noir; sandy silt-loam valley flats for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and aromatics
• Sauvignon Blanc typically includes Semillon in the blend; up to 30% fermented in neutral French oak

The flagship Sauvignon Blanc is produced in a tank-fermented estate bottling and as the barrel-fermented Marama cuvée, which is fermented and matured for up to 14 months in neutral French oak barrels. Both include Semillon in the blend. The Rachel and Leah Pinot Noirs are named after Michael Seresin's mother and daughter respectively, sourced from the clay-rich hillside blocks of Raupo Creek and bottled without fining or filtration. Chardonnay is offered in standard and reserve versions. The Chiaroscuro is an annually varying co-fermented field blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, and Gewurztraminer, wild-fermented in neutral oak puncheons and barrels. Riesling is produced in dry and off-dry (Memento) styles, with occasional late harvest releases.

• Sauvignon Blanc: estate bottling and barrel-fermented Marama; both include Semillon; Marama aged up to 14 months in neutral oak
• Pinot Noir: Rachel (named after Michael Seresin's mother) and Leah (named after his daughter), from clay-rich Raupo Creek hillside blocks
• Chiaroscuro: annually varying co-fermented field blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, and Gewurztraminer in neutral oak
• Riesling: dry and off-dry Memento expressions; occasional late harvest; Chardonnay in standard and reserve versions

Seresin Estate is the largest Marlborough vineyard certified Demeter biodynamic, demonstrating that premium biodynamic winemaking is commercially viable at scale in a cool-climate region. According to sustainable wine expert Monty Waldin, it is one of the finest examples of a large-scale biodynamic winery, producing around 700,000 bottles a year. Its early adoption of organic viticulture from 1994 onward, long before the practice was mainstream in New Zealand, set an influential precedent for the region. Membership in Nicolas Joly's La Renaissance des Appellations places Seresin among the world's most philosophically committed terroir-driven producers, and the estate's wines stand out in a region historically dominated by industrial-scale Sauvignon Blanc for their textural depth, restraint, and aging potential.

• Largest Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyard in Marlborough; one of New Zealand's earliest organic adopters
• Monty Waldin identifies Seresin as one of the finest large-scale biodynamic wineries globally at approximately 700,000 bottles annually
• Member of La Renaissance des Appellations alongside Millton Vineyards, the only two NZ estates in the group
• Wines noted for textural complexity, restraint, and ageability, distinguishing them from mainstream Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

In 2018, Michael Seresin sold the original Renwick winery building and the adjacent Noa vineyard to local winemakers Ben Glover and Rhyan Wardman, who transformed it into The Coterie, a small-batch contract winemaking hub. Seresin Estate remains a cornerstone client, with all wines continuing to be made there under Tamra Kelly-Washington's supervision. The estate simultaneously sold the Noa vineyard and consolidated around the single Raupo Creek estate in the Omaka Valley, sharpening focus on single-vineyard, super-premium production. Michael Seresin has described the simplification as a deliberate choice to reduce complexity and find joy in the operation again, with the estate now wholly concentrated on the north-facing Omaka Valley slopes that have proven the strongest site for Pinot Noir.

• Original winery building and Noa vineyard sold in 2018 to Ben Glover and Rhyan Wardman, creating The Coterie contract winemaking hub
• Seresin Estate remains a client of The Coterie; wines still made there under winemaker Tamra Kelly-Washington
• Estate now focused exclusively on Raupo Creek Vineyard, Omaka Valley, for single-vineyard premium production
• Consolidation reflects a deliberate philosophical shift toward lower volume, higher quality, and reduced operational complexity