About the wine
Two Paddocks Riesling is an estate grown, single block selection made from fruit grown at Two Paddocks’ Red Bank Vineyard situated in the Earnscleugh district of Alexandra, Central Otago. As in the vineyard, this wine was hand crafted using traditional methods and bottled early to ensure all the integrity and vitality of the wine was preserved. The soils in this block are well draining schist loam and the vines tend to thrive. Additionally the typically extreme summer diurnal temperatures experienced in Alexandra are responsible for both metabolising (softening) acidity during the day and then bright freshness is retained from the significantly cooler nights – all this really means is that we feel a drier and more textural wine style is both possible and appropriate.
Tasting Notes
Vintage Comments:
A cool spring produced slow growth until November, which along with parts of December, was above average warmth. Flowering started in the first week of December and lasted over three weeks. All vines including the Rieslings were only green thinned and shoulders removed in the same pass. Very little disease pressure and we harvested on the 16th April.
Winemakers Notes:
Crafted from a tiny half-hectare block at Two Paddocks Red Bank Vineyard at Earnscleugh, Central Otago, which consistently produces the ripest and most intense riesling on the estate. All grapes are grown using sustainable principles, hand harvested, fermented in stainless steel with a small percentage in aged oak.
Wildflower and citrus perfumed aromatics. Followed by pink grapefruit and mango flavours, great tension and drive. This wine finishes dry but has generous fruit intensity and persistence.
pH 3.04 -- TA 9.0 g/l -- Alc 13% -- R/S: 6 g/L
Proprietor: Sam Neill
Viticulturist: Mike Wing
Winemaker: Dean Shaw
Bottled: September 2014
Total Production: 150 cases
Cellaring: 2014 – 2020
Reviews
| Award / Reviewer | Date | Rating | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Cooper's NZ Wines 2017 Buyer's Guide | Dec 2016 | ||
Estate-grown at Earnscleugh, near Alexandra, in the Red Bank Vineyard, the 2014 vintage (3.5*) has fresh lemon/lime flavours, showing very good vigour and depth, and an off-dry (10 grams/litre of residual sugar) finish. Enjoyable young. |
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| Jancis Robinson MW, The Financial Times | Oct 2016 | 16.5 Points | |
I'd happily make this my house white. Really great balance in this dry-but-not-bone-dry (RS 6g/l) Riesling grown on Sam Neill's home farm. Their only white wine and just 150 cases made. pH 3.04! Admirable varietal character. I'd happily make this my house white. |
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| Michael Cooper's NZ Wines 2016 Buyer's Guide | Aug 2016 | 3.5 Stars | |
Estate-grown at Earnscleugh, near Alexandra, in the Red Bank Vineyard, the 2014 vintage (3.5*) has fresh, strong lemon/lime flavours, showing very good vigour and depth, and an off-dry (10 grams/litre of residual sugar) finish. Enjoyable young. |
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| Yvonne Lorkin | Jan 2016 | ||
Jan 19, 2016, Yvonne Lorkin 4.5-Stars -- How winemaker Dean Shaw manages to stuff the equivalent of an entire citrus orchard into a 750ml bottle is beyond me, but if you're a fan of anything resembling a crunchy-crisp, lime and apple smash up, that also manages to be stylish and elegantly put together, then this has your name on it. Crafted from fruit grown in their Redbank vineyard in Earnscleugh, Central Otago, this delicious riesling has intense concentration, tautness and a hint of spice on the finish. Superb with sweet & sour fish slathered in fresh chilli and coriander. |
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| Raymond Chan Wine Reviews | Nov 2015 | 17.5+ Points | |
Bright, light straw-yellow colour with light golden hues, pale edged. This has a soft and gently full nose of ripe yellow florals and lime fruit with delicate apricot and exotic tropical fruit notes akin to botrytis.. Honey and sherbet elements add to the exotic interest. Off-dry to taste and medium-bodied, the fruit is exotic with yellow florals, tropical fruits and honied notes. The wine is soft and has a luscious mouthfeel, with a rounded, finely textured core. The palate is balanced by crisp, lacy, underlying acidity, which enhances the line and flow. The flavours blossom from the rich core and carry to a long, lingering finish of florals and honeysuckle. This is an exotic Riesling with yellow florals, honey and marmalade notes, along with a strong core and fresh acidity. Match with Asian and Middle Eastern fare over the next 4+ years. Fruit from 0.5 ha of the ‘Red Bank’ vineyard, hand-picked and stainless-steel fermented with a small portion in seasoned oak to 13.0% alc. and 6 g/L RS, TA 9.0 g/L and pH 3.04. 150 cases made. |
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| Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout NZ August 2015 | Aug 2015 | ||
Wild honey and white floral, fresh and baked apple, quince and lemon – a bouquet filled with a sense of place and personality. On the palate – dry, wild and full of energy – the quince and lemon combination stand out with apple to follow; high acidity, crisp and generous – a really worthwhile aperitif style. |
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| Bob Campbell MW, BobsWineReviews | Feb 2015 | 90 Points | |
More concentrated and with more weight than the highly drinkable Picnic Riesling in a similar off/dry style and with mineral, lime and wild flower flavours. Attractive wine that can be enjoyed now but should become even more interesting with bottle age. |
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