Dec 30, 2022
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Two Paddocks
| Owner(s) | Sam Neill |
| Web site | www.twopaddocks.com |
| Link to this site |
Founder Sam Neill is a well-known actor who starred in The Hunt for Red October and the original Jurassic Park. He also has put his skills to work in quirky MAXIMOVIES on the winery's website.
Two Paddocks has been a small grower of premium Pinot Noir in Central Otago since 1992. Neill's great-grandfather founded Neill & Co., importers of wines and spirits, in 1861, so technically his family has had a presence in the South Island of New Zealand for 150 years.
Two Paddocks started with 5 acres of Pinot Noir in the original little vineyard in Gibbston. A friend, Roger Donaldson, planted the land next door, hence the name Two Paddocks. The original vineyard has now been augmented with the addition of two other small vineyards in the Alexandra district and Redbank, a 130-acre farm located between two dramatic rocky escarpments.
Pinot Noirs offered include Picnic, Two Paddocks Estate, Two Paddocks The First Paddock, and Two Paddocks The Last Chance. Neill says, "We hope and trust that you will enjoy Two Paddocks wine, as much as we enjoy making it. We certainly enjoy drinking it, which makes it a little scarcer than perhaps it might be otherwise."
Articles About Two Paddocks
Reviewed Wines
2013 Two Paddocks “The First Paddock” Central Otago New Zealand Pinot Noir
13.0% alc., $69.99.
Imported by Negociants USA Inc., Napa, CA. A small family winery started by noted actor Sam Neill in 1993
with modest ambitions and 5 acres of Pinot Noir in Gibbston, Central Otago. At the same time, a friend, Roger
Donaldson, planted the land next door (his brand is Sleeping Dogs), hence the name Two Paddocks. The first
vintage from this vineyard (the bottling is named “The First Paddock”) was 1997 and by 2009 was producing
world-class Pinot Noir. The original vineyard has now been augmented by Alex Paddocks, a 7-acre vineyard
planted in 1998. Two Paddocks “The Last Chance” Pinot Noir has been produced from this vineyard since
2002. In 2000, Redbank, a 130-acre farm planted to Dijon clones of Pinot Noir was acquired and forms the
backbone of the Two Paddocks Pinot Noir.
·
Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Aromas of black
cherry and toasted oak lead to a mid weight plus styled wine featuring juicy black cherry and blackberry fruits
with an earthy undertone and a rather marked oak overlay (toast, espresso). The wine is particularly notable for
the intensity of the lingering finish that speaks of liquor-soaked Maraschino cherries. This wine will appeal to
those who prefer their Pinot Noir well-oaked. When tasted two days after opening, the wine still had noticeable
oak influence.
Score: 91.
Reviewed February 5, 2016
ARTICLE »
2013 Two Paddocks “The First Paddock” Central Otago New Zealand Pinot Noir
13.0% alc., $69.99. Imported by Negociants USA Inc., Napa, CA. A small family winery started by noted actor Sam Neill in 1993 with modest ambitions and 5 acres of Pinot Noir in Gibbston, Central Otago. At the same time, a friend, Roger Donaldson, planted the land next door (his brand is Sleeping Dogs), hence the name Two Paddocks. The first vintage from this vineyard (the bottling is named “The First Paddock”) was 1997 and by 2009 was producing world-class Pinot Noir. The original vineyard has now been augmented by Alex Paddocks, a 7-acre vineyard planted in 1998. Two Paddocks “The Last Chance” Pinot Noir has been produced from this vineyard since 2002. In 2000, Redbank, a 130-acre farm planted to Dijon clones of Pinot Noir was acquired and forms the backbone of the Two Paddocks Pinot Noir. · Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Aromas of black cherry and toasted oak lead to a mid weight plus styled wine featuring juicy black cherry and blackberry fruits with an earthy undertone and a rather marked oak overlay (toast, espresso). The wine is particularly notable for the intensity of the lingering finish that speaks of liquor-soaked Maraschino cherries. This wine will appeal to those who prefer their Pinot Noir well-oaked. When tasted two days after opening, the wine still had noticeable oak influence. Score: 91. Reviewed February 5, 2016 ARTICLE »