The First Paddock

Sam's original vineyard.  Planted here in the heart of the Gibbston Valley in 1993. 100% Pinot Noir. 4.6 hectares.

This, our first vineyard, we planted in 1993 with clone 5 Pinot Noir, as well as a certain amount of an upright Lincoln clone – this latter proved unsatisfactory and we have now supplanted it, leaving only 2 rows as shelter. Originally the vineyard was only 2 hectares, fairly miniscule.

In addition to that, the Gibbston Valley was always thought a little too marginal to be reliable (400m high, 600mm annual rainfall and only 800+ GDD).

However Gibbston has consistently proved the pundits wrong, and is now one of the world’s best known pockets for pinot. And our wine from our even tinier pocket has proved amazingly good year after year and often becomes a single vineyard wine (Called Two Paddocks Proprietor's Reserve The First Paddock Pinot Noir).

This continued excellence moved us, in 2008, to double the size of our vineyard there taking it to some 5 hectares in all. The new planting is clone 5, 943, 115 and 10/5 on rootstock 101.14. All planted at 3400 vines per hectare. The oldest vines are on their own roots.  Inevitably, in time we will need replace them. In the mean time they are growing the most elegant pinot noir imaginable.

Our neighbours at First Paddock are Roger and Marliese Donaldson (Sleeping Dogs) and Henry Van Asch (Havoc Wines). Roger is a very old friend of the Proprietors – they worked together on film when sound was brand new. Henry is co founder of the fearsome bungy.