18 December 2000

Spring/Summer 2002 Update

Christmas Greetings

Christmas is almost here and all here at Two Paddocks are breathless with excitement. This in part because we have been working like dogs, but also because the proprietor has generously promised us all sunhats for the Yuletide. This will be the newest addition to the world's most glamorous clothing line. Well, maybe after Prada.

So much to report!

At Redbank we have planted an additional 2 hectares of grapes this spring. This is mostly Pinot Noir, on a beautiful sloping hill below the redbank itself. We have planted here about 3,000 each of the following Burgundian clones: 115, 667, and 777. We have also, for old times sake, put in 2,000 vines of our old perennial staple friend, 10/5. We have, as well, completed the Riesling block on root stock, which brings the total planting at Redbank to approximately 6 hectares. This is by any standard a small vineyard, but to us it seems as big as General Motors.

Also at Redbank, we have built a beautiful, nay palatial, staff room and, in order to enhance our greener than green credentials, a fully compostable lavatory.

Over at Gibbston we continue with our yearly re-plant program, anxious as we are about the inevitable arrival of phylloxera. This year we replaced 10 rows with 777 on two different root stocks. It's sad every year to see some of our older vines go, but it's onward and upward, etc. etc.

Over at Alex Paddocks it has been a stop-start Spring as elsewhere. This meant a bit of a frost tickle up at the very bottom of the vineyard where we might have lost maybe 20% of our fruit. We're always fairly relaxed about this. We already have a very low yield anyway and, as we all know, low yield is critical for high quality.

Meanwhile, over at the winery, Dean is more than usually upbeat about the 2002 Pinots in the barrel. This year will mean the first single vineyard Pinots from Two Paddocks. From Alex, Two Paddocks The Last Chance Pinot Noir and from Gibbston, Two Paddocks The First Paddock Pinot Noir. These will be our two premium Pinots for 2002. We are also going to be producing and releasing early, a more everyday (but still superb and easy-drinking) lower-priced Pinot -- Two Paddocks Picnic Pinot Noir. There will only be a small amount of this available, 100 cases or so, every year. You will probably need to come to Central Otago to find it. A pleasure in itself.

Dean is fulsome in his praise of The Last Chance Pinot, and, as always, is quietly confident about the Gibbston wine.

Coming up: For the 2003 vintage, expect our first Pinot from Redbank and our first Riesling, as well -- try to contain your excitement.

11 October 2002

2000 Pinot Noir Released to Retailers

New Zealand Distribution Only (see list below)

For the legions of Two Paddocks admirers overseas this, we fear, is the bad news. All of the above has been allocated to New Zealand outlets only. (See below.) The good news is that if you jump on a plane sooner, rather than later, the following are the places to score one of the world's great red wines. If this sounds like hyperbole, the proprietor is dictating this from the horizontal position on a threadbare rug left to him by an impoverished Neill ancestor. We trust that you will enjoy this wine as much as we have and that you will resist driving heavy machinery after even one glass. Drive safely, be kind to your...[the rest indistinguishable]

3 April 2002

2001 Vintage in the Bottle

2002 Harvest Approaching

Two Paddocks 2001 Neill Pinot Noir was bottled at Central Otago Wine Company last week on Wednesday, 27 March. This year our Pinot does in reality come from two paddocks -- it is an elegant combination of Pinot from Alex Paddocks (first crop) and the fifth crop from our original Gibbston Vineyard. Even the most jaded and cynical of critics will be bowled over by this year's vintage. It is powerfully evocative of the best of Central Otago; delicious fruit, a gorgeous nose, a long finish, overtones of culinary herbs. We could go on...

As usual, we are trying not to bite our nails over this year's harvest which is a matter of days away. This morning we awoke to snow down to 1500 feet and all the fruit is still on the vine. Such is life in cool climate!

6 January 2002

Praise for 1999 Two Paddocks Neill Pinot Noir

Wine Critic Michael Cooper Awards 4 1/2 Stars

We are delighted to report that the distinguished wine critic Michael Cooper has awarded Two Paddocks 4 1/2 stars out of 5 in his weekly column in the New Zealand Sunday Star Times (06/01/02). The review speaks for itself:

"Sam Neill is better known as an actor than vineyard owner but who wouldn't want to taste his Two Paddocks Pinot Noir, grown at Gibbston, in Central Otago? Everyone wants to try Sam Neill's wine.

The 1997 and 1998 vintages were promising but not distinguished. The good news is that Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 1999 (**** 1/2, $37) is by far the best yet. A full coloured, generous wine with sweet fruit delights, deep cherry, plum and spice flavours and a firm foundation of tannin, it's fairly priced and ranks among the regions most impressive 1999 pinot noirs."

14 January 2002

Lavender Harvesting Begins

Annual Lavender Harvest at Redbank

This week we begin the annual lavender harvest at Redbank. All indications are that this should be a vintage year. If you haven't tried our Two Paddocks Lavender Oil, it is a seductive blend of English and French lavenders which produce an oil of the highest quality. Small quantities are available at the Central Otago Wine Company in Cromwell. Pictured is the proprietor about to pass out with pleasure with the heady and intoxicating aroma of T.P. lavender.