2011 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir

About the wine

Premium Pinot Noir

Two Paddocks flagship Pinot Noir - an estate grown, barrel selection from the three small Neill family vineyards in Central Otago. These vineyards are high-density planted in a range of clonal material and intensively "man-handled" with most vineyard practices carried out by hand. As in the vineyard, the wine is hand crafted using traditional methods including a 25% whole bunch wild fermentation and hand plunging. It is then matured in French barriques for 11 months, using a mix of older and new (25%) barrels.

Tasting Notes

Vintage Comment:

A mild winter, soils with high moisture and an unseasonably hot dry spring were catalysts for a solid start to the growing season experienced in Central Otago. Flowering had finished in some vineyards before summer even began. Fruit set was correspondingly excellent across all sub-regions, promoting high berry numbers and the likelihood of tight bunches. These idyllic conditions continued through until mid December and then moderate rain and cooler temperatures were experienced over Christmas.

The remainder of summer saw warmer weather with the first signs of veraison at the end of January and most of the regions vineyards with well-coloured fruit come the first week of February. A stable autumn gave us some scope to pick at our leisure, which allowed us to fashion wines of highly lifted fruit aromatics and strong mineral drive.

Winemakers Notes:

In 2011, this wine was an assemblage from our Gibbston First Paddock and the Earnscleugh Last Chance and Red Bank vineyards. Again, each block and clone was picked and fermented separately, with the final blending taking place prior to bottling.

Black fruit aromatics, spice and drive with a gorgeous lithe texture. Feminine in nature, great persistence and a lingering finish.

pH  3.62 -- TA   6.4 g/l -- Alc  13.5%

Harvest Dates: 23 April  - 4 May 2010

Proprietor: Sam Neill

Viticulturist:  Mike Wing

Winemaker:  Dean Shaw

Bottled: March 2011

Total Production: 944 cases

Cellaring: 2014 – 2021