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This is from Wendy Stanford and our friends at wine.com. We're posting the whole blog entry, but you can also see it here. >>

(Thank you Wendy!)

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LAST WINERY ON EARTH -- WELCOME TO TWO PADDOCKS

August 7, 2015, Wendy Stanford

Talented ukulele player, animal and nature lover, winery proprietor, and accomplished actor, Sam Neill is a super cool guy. His winery in Central Otago, New Zealand, is called Two Paddocks, and these small production wines made by rock star winemaker Dean Shaw are top-notch examples of what can be achieved in this most southernly wine region in the world. I met Sam and Dean in New Zealand earlier this year, and while I was already a fan of Sam's acting career, I immediately became a raving fan of the Two Paddocks wines.

Last week, the Wine.com office was treated to a special visit from Sam and the Two Paddocks General Manager, Jacqui Murphy, along with the team from Negociants USA (the importer). Let's be clear, this is not a "celebrity wine." These hand-crafted, predominantly biodynamically grown, food-friendly wines have won over sommeliers, critics and consumers with their complex, yet approachable and incredibly balanced flavors and textures.

While the focus is on Pinot Noir, Sam explained that his wife prefers to drink white wines, so they made a Riesling. Lucky lady! I loved the minerality, slight petrol notes, bright acidity and touch of residual sugar to balance out the 2014 Estate Riesling. We then tasted the silky 2012 Estate Pinot, the brambly 2013 First Paddock Pinot (their first vineyard and one of the oldest in the area), and the textural and age-worthy 2012 Last Chance Pinot (grown in the Southernmost area for growing grapes in the world), and all showed off the fact that Dean Shaw lets the terroir of each vineyard site shine, while maintaining his own personal touch. Complex and elegant, but with a fun and wild side, just like Dean.

We really enjoyed Sam Neill's visit and his generous, warm, educational and entertaining approach to sharing his love and passion for Two Paddocks wines, as well as for Central Otago as a world-class wine-producing region. These wines are going fast, so get 'em while you can!  I suggest pairing with a few episodes of "Peaky Blinders" (on Netflix). Good stuff.

Yes folks, easily our most ambitious flick yet.

Co-written and starring The Prop (with Homer as co-writer - thanks Homey), and directed by our friend and Uber-Talent Roger Tompkins at Cranbrook films. Enormous crew, who were hardly ever drunk.

Filmed entirely on location at 3 of our 4 vineyards. All-Star Cast (well, all the Stars we could find in Clyde, pop 376). All stunts entirely performed by the Prop himself. We expect a full recovery. Many thanks to ER at Bannockburn Hospital.

Absolutely a milestone in the history of Grape Cinema! See it here >>

* Five Stars from The Noo Yawka, and Two Fingers Up from Siskel and Ebert R.I.P.

Not necessarily in that order

The Prop, rattled but still going reasonably heartily after years of service to the craft of the Horror Flick, spills all on the couch. David Driscoll of K & L serves as shrink and counselor.

Link to the article >>

Rhys Darby, Comedian, Actor

Right here tonight centre-stage on our Virtual CentreStage, our favourite Virtual CentreStage virtual actor AND virtual comedian (two for the price of one) our friend and colleague the virtually brilliant Rhys Darbie is with us virtually all month as Virtual Guest DJ. And we couldn’t be more pleased or flattered. And excited. And out of our tiny minds. Virtually.

Click here to plunge straight onto the dance floor with our own, your own, New Zealand's own ... oh well ... everyone's own favourite funny man MR RHYS DARBY!!

The bullock

A relatively recent arrival, this chap is named after the All Round Entertainer and Sometime Gardener Rhys Darby.

Not because they are both Gingas (that would be Gingist, and we abhor discrimination of any kind here at Two Paddocks.)

And not because they are both amusing on sight. Even before the gags.

But mostly because we admire Rhys (the All Round Entertainer) more than we can say. And also because he has done his Top 10. Coming soon to this very site ...

(See the Top 10 Tunes for our luminaries who have already done theirs. Hours of harmless fun!)

Pictured ... in foreground Rhys Darby. Not to be confused with another ginger Highlander in the rear -- Duncan Forsyth (named after another friend Duncan, he of Mt Edward).

Is there no end to our resourcefulness?

On two of our vineyards, We've been growing olive trees for some 15 years now. Finally, we have pressed our own organic olive oil this year, and superb it is too.

The Cru bottled this week. A grand total of 22 x 375 ml bottles. Enough for the Prop and his famous salads for, ooh, about a year. Score!

And Medals Galore!

So, grand success again (modest blush from Dean and Mike) at the world's most influential wine competition -- The International Wine Challenge in London, 2015.

Trophies two years in a row! Our cup, and glass runneth over!

As always, gentle client, we advise getting your cellar well stocked with what is still available now of these rare wines.

Call your supplier now. Or send a telegram. Or pigeon. Better still, have your chauffeur pick up a case or three and convey to your clutches immediately. Immediate relief will follow.

Results as follows ...

Two Paddocks Proprietor's Reserve The Last Chance Pinot Noir, 2012 From Central Otago, New Zealand Tasting Notes: Elegant polished wine, soft velvety restrained fruit with a savoury edge, complex and layered. Two Paddocks Pinot Noir, 2013 From Central Otago, New Zealand Tasting Notes: Pale garnet. Delicate clove and strawberry aromas. Light bodied with a smooth texture. Two Paddocks Pinot Noir, 2012 From Central Otago, New Zealand Tasting Notes: Garnet red. Velvety fruits; rasberry and spice. Midbodied with good structure and cherry jam finish.

In glorious ColorYouCanSee™ and SoundYouCanHear™

Our resident Frenchman this year, Jeremie Sery, is also a budding filmmaker. (Jeremie Sery oddly enough translates as Orson Wells in French, by the way -- I know, what are the odds?) Jeremy has made a vintage movie of Vintage 2015. He has titled it, obscurely, Vintage 2015.

Filmed in ALL FOUR of our vineyards, it is a something of a miracle. Or miracle as they say in France. Bravo Jeremie! Merci Beaucoup! We love it.

Critical Note -- while Jeremie is clearly, comme tous les Francais, heavily influenced by Nouvelle Vague -- Chabrol, Truffaut et al  -- we are convinced another strong inspiration for his work is mid '70's N.Z. National Film Unit. It's Scenic! It's New Zealand! It's Color! Well, we could be wrong. C'est la vie.

As they say in annoying restaurants -- please enjoy >>

At last

So, finally, after snow, hai, rain, frost, sun, wind, yesterday we took our last grapes off for this the 2015 vintage.

• 94 tonnes total
• 86 tonnes Pinot Noir
• 8 tonnes Riesling
• ...from all of our four vineyards.*

We await reports from the winery, Dean, as to how things are shaping up there with our various ferments. But so far so good -- Mike looks happy.

* Proprietor's guess -- The Last Chance will be a STAR this year.

Thanks to all our merry International picking Cru. You've been great. Harvest party tomorrow!

 

Frank and Fearless

Talking movies, Anzac and the farm, with the excellent Charlie Pickering, our new DUCK.

Watch it here >>>

Here we go. Here we go.

So, it begins. We started picking at The Fusilier, Felton Rd, this week. So far 15 tonnes of excellent Pinot from 2 days picking.

And today, 7 tonnes from The Last Chance block, Earnscleugh Rd. -- also top shelf.

But as we write ... (cue ominous music) ...it is snowing on the tops. Uh oh.

Picking at The Fusilier -- Day One. And in close up on the right, Verdun Burgess (he of Black Ridge and Space Exploration) applies decades of experience to the next bunch.