Picnic Pinot Noir - 2018

About the wine

Featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, Sidney 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. This fruit was sourced from Two Paddock’s own vineyards in Alexandra and Gibbston and Bannockburn. 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:

Two Paddocks 2018 harvest will be remembered as the earliest picking date on record. A warm spring that quickly turned in to a hot summer with much warmer night time temperatures than are typically experienced in Alexandra. Ideal conditions over flowering, which was a month early, began on the 20^th November. Again, perfect growing conditions meant veraison also began a month early on the 20^th January and then the extreme heat and dry finished abruptly on the 1^st February. Cooler temperatures over February / March thankfully slowed ripening down and intensified flavour development, but harvest still began nearly a month earlier than typical on the 14^th March and was over by the 11^th April.

Winemakers Notes:

Hand harvested, 97% de-stemmed and given 5-7 days 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 (7% new oak) for a 9 month maturation in predominantly older oak, before racking and bottling.

Central Otago Sub-regional composition: 55% Alexandra, 27% Bannockburn, 18% Gibbston,

Dark fruit with violet and red currant aromatics lead to a seductive elegant textural driven mouthfeel. This wine has a great fruit driven profile supported by fine elegant derived tannins.

Ageability; Drink now and up to 6 years. This wine will drink well in its youth but has the potential to age.

pH 3.59 TA 5.9g/lAlc 13.0 %

Proprietor: Sam NeillViticulturist: Mike WingWinemaker: Dean Shaw

Bottled: December 2018 Production: 3700 casesCellaring: 2018– 2024

Tasting Notes