Wine of the week: a unique and very special pinot noir from New Zealand

published 7 April 2020

2017 Seresin, Leah Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand

About £22.50, greatwesternwine.co.uk, nzhouseofwine.co.uk, noblegreenwines.co.uk, thedrinkshop.com

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a fantastic morning tasting Michael Seresin’s new releases. If you recognise his name, but cannot quite place it, everything will fall into place when I take you away from the wine world and drop you on a film set. Michael is the renowned cinematographer responsible for such classics as Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Birdy, Angel Heart, Angela’s Ashes and more recently Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and two Planet of the Apes pictures.

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A passionate Kiwi, planet-loving and pioneering, too, Michael founded Seresin in 1992 and he was one of the first high-profile people to embrace organic winegrowing. He has recently refocused his vinous exploits and he has trimmed his portfolio, too. The results are the most elegant and refined releases I have ever tasted from this brand. Leah is grassy and firm with near-cabernet franc freshness and, given that this is a bold pinot noir, you will sense that it is a unique and very special wine. The fruit is direct, pure and resonant and it sums up Michael’s intent in a single sip.

Please also track down 2018 Sauvignon Blanc (£19.50, greatwesternwine.co.uk; £17.99, nzhouseofwine.co.uk) because it is terrific. With 8% semillon in the mix and 15% neutral oak tucked into its shimmering chassis, this is a crisp, tight wine which leans on its wondrous Raupo Creek ingredients.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

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Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.