Two Paddocks The First Paddock

Two Paddocks The First Paddock Pinot Noir bottle image

Wine Description

“We grow our premium Two Paddocks Pinot Noir entirely on our four small vineyards in Central Otago. In some exceptional vintages, listening carefully, we realize that one of these sites may have something extraordinary to say in its own right. It is only then that we will make one of these very rare single vineyard wines.” Sam Neill, Proprietor

accordion plus icons
Acclaim
“The vines at actor Sam Neill’s original, organically farmed vineyard in Gibbston Valley are now over 25 years old, and the resulting wines are better than ever. The color of raspberry juice, this vintage is, to put it bluntly, sexy as hell. The perfume is evocative, a fruit bowl of cranberry and other red berries with florals, tree sap and spice. Then, after all that prettiness, the tannins hit you, unexpectedly muscular yet filigreed. They juxtapose the delicate crunch of fresh fruit. It doesn’t quite carry the complexity of the Fusilier, but it’s the height of elegance and deliciousness nonetheless." 
— Wine Enthusiast, Dec 2021
“There’s a transparency to Gibbston fruit and a floaty-light impression that you don’t get in other subregions of Central Otago, and here it’s in full effect. Yet the texture is silken and there’s plenty of density and excellent ripeness. Despite the earliest harvest on record and a warm season, Gibbston’s marginal climate ensures the acidity rip-roars through the wine like a water race. The tannins are comforting in their seamless, mouth coating texting. A joy to drink.”
— Vinous, Mar 2021
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Central Otago
Vineyard name
The First Paddock
Vineyard size
12 acres acres
Soil composition
Schist, loess
Elevation:
1300 feet feet
Year vineyard planted:
1993
Harvest time:
March 14-April 11, 2018
Bottles produced of this wine:
2261
Certifying Organizations:
Certified Organic, BioGro NZ
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Pinot Noir
Fermentation container:
French oak cuve
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
14 months
Age of Aging Container:
30% New
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
3.62
Acidity:
6.0 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
accordion plus icons
Wine Production

Hand harvested and sorted then a 50% whole bunch indigenous ferment in a dedicated First Paddock French oak cuve. Matured in 30% new French oak with the balance in older wood for an extended 14 months of barrel maturation. 

accordion plus icons
About the Vineyard

The First Paddock is our original much loved Two Paddocks vineyard. Planted in 1993, it is now one of the older blocks in Central Otago. Superbly situated in the midst of upper Gibbston, planted in carefully selected Burgundian clone pinot noir vines and meticulously tended. This is a thoughtfully crafted expression of our foundation site.  Sourced from the first twenty-five rows of Clone 5.