Picnic Pinot Noir - 2013

About the wine

PICNIC

The jovial chap with a pipe is Sidney Neill, importer of French wines (among other things) enjoying a picnic at Karitane Beach, Otago circa 1919.

Featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill – Wine Merchant, on the label, Picnic is our perennial favourite – the wine to enjoy everyday and a wonderful introduction to the pleasure of Central Otago Pinot Noir.

Tasting Notes

This year 80% of the fruit was sourced from Two Paddock’s own vineyards in Alexandra and Gibbston with an inclusion of Lowburn fruit. Picnic Pinot Noir is made in a diminutive style aimed to reflect the characters that Central Otago Pinot does so very well – black and red cherry fruit, spice and a generosity that keeps you reaching for the next sip.

Vintage Comment:

A good start to the season with healthy well balanced canes being laid on all three vineyard blocks with appropriate bud numbers, but growing then got off to a slow start with cooler than normal temperatures in late spring. The resulting bunches from the cooler spring were of average size but made up of very small berries, which regardless of clone and rootstock ripened at much the same time after a very warm and dry autumn. March was the warmest March we have on record. Additionally there was not the normal large diurnal shift this autumn tending much more to range between 5 degrees over night to 25 degrees during the day. This seemed to be the catalyst for lovely even ripening and carried on until harvest in mid April – early May.

Winemakers Notes:

Hand harvested, 85% de-stemmed and given 5-7 pre-fermentation cold maceration. After an indigenous ferment the wine is given another 5-7 days post ferment time on skins. Wine is then transferred to 1-4 year old French medium toast barriques for a10 month maturation in predominantly older oak, before racking and bottling.

Central Otago Sub-regional composition: 70% Alexandra, 20% Lowburn, 10% Gibbston

Blackcurrant, spice and wild herb uplifting aromatics. Followed by an elegant fruit driven palate showing vibrancy, texture and depth.

pH 3.56 -- TA 6.0 g/l -- Alc 13.0%

Proprietor: Sam Neill

Viticulturist: Mike Wing

Winemaker: Dean Shaw

Bottled: March 2013

Total Production: 2830 cases

Cellaring: 2014 – 2019