Liquifying Geography into Wine
Pyramid Valley Vineyards is one of the most extraordinary wine estates in the Southern Hemisphere — a place where terroir is not just a concept but an obsession, and where every decision in the vineyard and cellar is guided by the belief that the grape is merely the messenger, not the voice. [^273^] Founded in 2000 by Mike and Claudia Weersing, Pyramid Valley was the first vineyard in New Zealand — and one of only a few in the world — to be established from the outset under the most stringent biodynamic principles. [^266^] No systemic chemicals have ever been used on the property. [^266^] Mike, a California native with a background in art history and literature, caught the wine bug working with Josh Jensen at Calera, studied oenology and viticulture in Burgundy, and built a remarkable CV working with de Montille, Potel, Pousse d'Or, Kreydenweiss, Deiss, and Loosen. [^273^] He and Claudia spent three years prospecting for the perfect site before discovering an old sheep farm in the Pyramid Valley near Waikari, North Canterbury — a place of clay-limestone soils on scarp slopes, planted at a staggering 10,000–12,000 vines per hectare. [^263^] The four tiny home vineyards — Earth Smoke, Angel Flower, Lion's Tooth, and Field of Fire — are named after the predominant wildflower in each meadow, and each produces a single-vineyard wine of profound individuality. [^263^] Mike passed away in 2020, but his vision endures under the ownership of Smith & Sheth, with winemaker Huw Kinch now crafting wines that honour the founder's uncompromising philosophy while pushing the estate into an exciting new chapter. [^263^]
From Calera & Burgundy to the Pyramid Valley
Mike Weersing was born in California, in the redwoods north of San Francisco. [^273^] After studying art history and literature, he worked in publishing in Manhattan — but "I love literature, but not the business," he said. "I love art, but I'm not an artist, and I love music, but I don't like the music business." [^273^] It was a spell working with Josh Jensen at Calera in California that made him realise wine was his true calling. [^273^]
He did a harvest in Oregon with Evesham Wood, then studied oenology and viticulture in Burgundy — at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune and the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon. [^275^] He built a remarkable CV working for Hubert de Montille, Nicolas Potel, Domaine de la Pousse d'Or, Marc Kreydenweiss, Jean-Michel Deiss, and Ernst Loosen. [^273^] He also made wine for Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon in France and Spain, and did apprenticeships with James Halliday at Coldstream Hills in Australia and Russ Raney at Evesham Wood in Oregon. [^275^]
In 1996, Mike and Claudia moved to New Zealand, where Mike worked as a winemaker with Tim and Judy Finn at Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson. [^275^] But they wanted their own project. Mike had a specific idea in his head of what the perfect terroir would look like: clay with limestone, with a marginal climate that was more continental than the average New Zealand wine growing region. [^263^] He spent three years in New Zealand and fifteen overall prospecting — Europe, California, New Mexico, Portugal, Australia — before discovering the Pyramid Valley. [^274^]
The site was an old sheep farm near Waikari in North Canterbury. [^263^] The hills have limestone, but Mike was looking for argile calcaire — the classic clay-limestone combination of Burgundy's great vineyards. [^263^] He found it. They planted four small vineyards at 10,000–12,000 vines per hectare, with single guyot training at about a foot off the ground — unlike anything else in New Zealand. [^263^] The boundaries were irregular, respecting the variation in the soils underneath. [^263^] The first vintage was 2006. [^263^]
"The grape is merely the messenger, not the voice."
— Mike Weersing
Four Home Vineyards, Named for Meadow Botanicals
The four home vineyards at Pyramid Valley are unlike anything else in New Zealand. Planted at 10,000–12,000 vines per hectare — Burgundian density in a New World context — they are delineated not by straight lines but by the natural variation in the clay-limestone soils beneath. [^263^] Each vineyard is named after the predominant wildflower in its meadow, and each wears a piece of Patricia Curtan botanical art on its label. [^276^]
Earth Smoke is the Pinot Noir vineyard named after fumitory — a wildflower that thrives in the more limestone-dominant soils. [^263^] Angel Flower is the Pinot Noir vineyard named after yarrow — the basis of biodynamic preparation 502. [^263^] Lion's Tooth is the Chardonnay vineyard named after dandelion — from the French dent de lion, used in biodynamic preparation 506. [^263^] Field of Fire is the Chardonnay vineyard named after twitch or quack grass. [^263^] The boundaries of these vineyards are irregular, respecting the nature of the soil variation underneath them. [^263^]
In 2018, Smith & Sheth — led by Steve Smith MW — supplemented the original 2.2 hectares with 4.8 hectares planted in the same style. [^263^] The new plantings are at a slightly lower density of 1.25m × 1m. [^263^] The first decent crop from the new vines came in 2024. [^263^] The estate also sources fruit from Central Otago (Manata, the old Lowburn Ferry site) and from Waipara growers, bringing total production to 120–140 tonnes. [^263^]
Farming is certified organic and biodynamic — Demeter certified. [^266^] No systemic chemicals have ever been used. [^266^] Early in the season, the team uses sulphur and seaweed nutrient, sometimes magnesium (because of the high calcium in the soil), and manganese to help with protection against powdery mildew. [^263^] Potassium bicarbonate raises pH to kill powdery, and silicon disrupts the cell walls of the fungus. [^263^] The balance between cultivating and mowing is seen as a management tool — "sometimes you can get wet winters here and then we just mow, but with a dry winter followed by a dry spring, we'll cultivate all of them." [^263^]
Named after fumitory. More limestone-dominant soils. [^263^] The Pinot Noir from this site is brooding, spicy, and mineral — "taut but light cherry and berry fruits with some fine smoky, mineral detail." [^263^] 97/100 — Wine Anorak (2022). A wine of extraordinary depth and savoury complexity.
Named after yarrow — the basis of biodynamic preparation 502. [^263^] Clay loam with some limestone. [^263^] "Very pale in colour. Fine and ethereal with red cherries and some spicy detail, but despite the light colour there is some structure here. Sappy, nervous, delicate and very fine." [^263^] 96/100 — Wine Anorak (2022).
Named after dandelion — from the French dent de lion, used in biodynamic preparation 506. [^263^] "Expressive with a hint of mandarin and orange peel, as well as nice pithiness. Lemony and brisk. Fine and detailed with a great acid line, showing purity and refinement." [^263^] 96/100 — Wine Anorak (2022).
Named after twitch or quack grass. [^263^] "Very stylish, saline and pure with crystalline citrus fruit and good acidity. Very textural and layered, and quite electrifying." [^263^] 96–97/100 — Wine Anorak. The most mineral and precise of the Chardonnays — a wine of genuine grandeur.
Wild Yeast, Vineyard Cultures, & No Sulphur at Harvest
Mike Weersing's winemaking was radical in its purity. He used no sulphur at harvest, no enzymes, no refrigeration or heating. [^275^] Grapes were hand-destemmed. [^275^] Fermentation was carried out exclusively with yeasts cultured from each source vineyard — a technique he learned from his time in Burgundy and Alsace. [^275^] A batch of grapes was picked a few weeks early, left to begin fermenting in small vats in the vineyard, away from the winery, to get a "starter culture" going that would then inoculate the rest. [^275^]
Malolactic fermentation was natural and often took a year or more to complete. [^275^] Movements of the wine — pressing, topping, racking — were timed to propitious stages of the lunar calendar. [^275^] The wines were unfined and unfiltered, with little or no sulphur ever added. [^266^] This was natural winemaking before it became a trend — and it was done with the rigour of someone who had learned from the greatest producers in Europe.
Under Huw Kinch, the philosophy has evolved while honouring Mike's vision. The winery is now "very sophisticated in a cool way, kitted out with a lot of impressive vessels of élevage" — foudres, concrete eggs, clay amphorae, and old barrels. [^263^] Huw wets the cap once a day and plunges when the ferment is raging, then returns to cap wetting when it slows. [^263^] All fruit is destemmed. [^263^] The focus remains on expressing site — but with a new generation's technical refinement and understanding.
Mike was also a profound thinker about the relationship between soil and taste. He spent four weeks with soil scientist Lydia Bourguignon and her husband Claude, learning to taste not for goodness but for trueness — a way of tasting that had been used in the past to authenticate wine. [^273^] Terms like elasticity were used: Grands Echezeaux is the most elastic of wines. [^273^] Wines from chalky soils finish with salinity. Wines from high pH soils make you salivate at the back of the mouth; wines from low pH soils at the front. [^273^] "Limestone makes you salivate the same way you do when you are hungry; it stimulates the appetite." [^273^]
97 Points — Earth Smoke Pinot Noir 2022
The 2022 Earth Smoke Pinot Noir scored 97 points from Wine Anorak — one of the highest scores ever awarded to a New Zealand Pinot Noir. [^263^] "Brooding spicy, smooth red fruits nose. There's an iodine/blood edge to the taut but light cherry and berry fruits with some fine smoky, mineral detail. Very fine and ethereal." [^263^] This is not just a great wine. It is proof that Mike Weersing's vision — biodynamic from inception, high-density planting, clay-limestone soils, wild yeast, no sulphur — was not eccentricity. It was prophecy. The wine captures something that conventional viticulture cannot: a sense of place so precise, so distilled, that drinking it is like tasting the geography itself. Huw Kinch, who now makes the wine, has honoured the founder's methods while adding his own refinement. The result is a Pinot Noir that stands with the very best in the world — from Burgundy, from Central Otago, from anywhere.
A Legacy Continues, A New Chapter Begins
Mike Weersing passed away in 2020, after years of declining health. [^273^] His legacy is left in the lives of all those he touched, inspired, and informed — and in the vineyards he planted with such meticulous care. [^273^] Pyramid Valley is now owned by Smith & Sheth, the wine company founded by Steve Smith MW and Brian Sheth. [^263^] Huw Kinch joined as winemaker and general manager, and 2020 was the first vintage where everything was made by the new team. [^263^]
The estate has grown significantly. In addition to the four home vineyards, Pyramid Valley now sources fruit from Manata in Central Otago (the old Lowburn Ferry site, purchased in 2018), from Waipara growers, and from Marlborough and Hawke's Bay. [^263^] [^276^] The Pastures Collection includes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from North Canterbury, Pinot Noir from Central Otago, Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, and Chardonnay from Hawke's Bay — "somewhat like the village wines of Burgundy." [^276^] The Colours Collection celebrates the vanguard: Sauvignon+, Orange, and Rosé. [^276^]
The philosophy remains Natural M.A.D.E. — Modern, Art, Design, Escape. [^276^] Nature is in charge. The vineyards express their soils and place through natural, sustainable viticulture. Biodynamics works with the energy of the cosmos. Where possible, the natural ecosystem of the vineyard and winery ferments the wines. Any intervention is kept to a minimum. [^276^] "This results in a wine that tastes like nothing else on this planet." [^276^]
The Waikari Estate tasting room offers intimate tastings where visitors can learn about the unique soils, climate, and farming philosophy. [^276^] The estate is a place of pilgrimage for wine lovers who understand that the greatest wines are not manufactured — they are grown, with patience, reverence, and an unwavering belief that the land knows best.
"If New Zealand has created a finer Pinot Noir than these two single-vineyard wines from Pyramid Valley Vineyards, I haven't tasted it."
— Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator
The Pyramid Valley Range
Pyramid Valley produces wines across three collections. The Botanicals Collection represents the pinnacle — the four single-vineyard wines from the home vineyards, each named after the dominant meadow botanical and each a profound expression of its specific soil. [^276^] The Pastures Collection offers a broader view of New Zealand's great appellations — North Canterbury, Central Otago, Marlborough, and Hawke's Bay — like village wines from Burgundy and the Loire. [^276^] The Colours Collection is the vanguard: Sauvignon+, Orange, and Rosé — wines that celebrate the natural approach and the spirit of Pyramid Valley. [^276^] All wines are sustainably farmed, free of artificial chemicals or fertilisers, with minimal intervention in the cellar. Prices are approximate and in NZD.