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“We grow our premium Two Paddocks Pinot Noir entirely on our four small vineyards in Central Otago. In some exceptional vintages, listening carefully, we realise 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
The Fusilier Vineyard is named in honor of Sam’s father, Major Dermot Neill, a soldier in the Royal Irish Fusilier Regiment for twenty years before returning home to Dunedin, New Zealand, where he ran the family Wine & Spirit business, Neill & Co. Planted entirely in 2000, The Fusilier is 5.6 hectares of pinot noir, on rolling northerly facing terraces at the western end of Felton Rd and bordered by the vineyard of the same name. Soils on the terraces consist of deep alluvial fans, which are made up of varying depths of silt, sand and gravel layering all derived from mountainous raw schist parent material.
LIMITED QUANTITIES: TWO BOTTLE MAXIMUM PURCHASE
Vintage 2021 was characterised by climatic variation extremes throughout spring and early summer and then developing into a fantastic finish, with a long stable mid-summer / autumn warm period, right up to and over harvest. At the start of the season, a cold winter continued into a dry warm spring with steady vine shoot growth.
The grapes flowered over Dec 2020, which was warmer than last year but with intermittent rain that resulted in only half the vineyard blocks achieving desired crop loads. The first week of January saw a significant rain event and that set the vineyards up with optimum soil moisture levels for the rest of the season. There was some typical early and late in the season frost fighting, but the vine canopies stayed resilient and green with harvest staring a week earlier than typical on the 30th of March and finishing on the 22nd April.
WINE MAKERS NOTE: Picked on the 31st of March 2021. Three different fermentations from the single vineyard Fusilier in Bannockburn. Clonal selection is 14% clone 10/5, 16% clone 667 and 75% clone 115. Total whole bunch component is 58%. Initial cold soak at 8 degrees Celsius for 5 days. Average fermentation time of 23 days, hand plunged no more than once a day with an indigenous yeast to start fermentation which peaked at 33 degrees Celsius. Lightly pressed and settled, then racked to barrel (French barrique), 29% new wood, for an average of 11 months.
| PH Level | 3.51 |
|---|---|
| Total Acidity | 5.8g/l |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| Bottled | February 2022 |
| Cellaring | 2023 - 2032 |
| Winemaker | Dean Shaw |
| Viticulturist | Mike Wing |
| Total Production | 300 cases |
EMAIL
[email protected]
PHONE
+64 3 449 2756
TWO PADDOCKS LTD.
PO Box 506
Alexandra 9340
Central Otago
New Zealand
Sale of Liquor License Ref: OF129
Licence No. 67/OFF/30/2022
Expires 24th August 2025
