Two Paddocks Pinot Noir (2020)

The label features the Sam Neill’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill. The Picnic Pinot Noir is one of the wineries favourite wines, as it is a wine to be enjoyed every day. All of the grapes are sourced from the Two Paddocks own vineyards, and offer a wine that is the true character of a Central Otago Pinot.

The Story of Two Paddocks by Sam Neill 

Two Paddocks started in 1993 with modest ambitions and first planted five acres of pinot noir at their original little vineyard at Gibbston, Central Otago in the deep south of New Zealand.

Sam wanted to produce a good pinot noir that would, at the very least, be enjoyed by his family and friends. To their great surprise, the first vintage in 1997 was much better than they hoped, in spite of a difficult growing season.  1998 was a more distinguished vintage, and in 1999 they were astounded to produce a pinot that was, they thought, world class.  Here was a wine of considerable complexity with an amazing nose, delicious fruit and a good lengthy finish (from clones 10/5 and 5).  So rewarding has this vineyard been over the years (and so unpromising as a sheep paddock) that they planted another 5 acres of Burgundian clones there in 2008 bringing the total acreage at The First Paddock, Gibbston, to 5 hectares.

In short, they have become outrageously ambitious.

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