Pinophiles Part 1: Two Paddocks

Yesterday our class stormed the vineyards of Central Otago for an up close look at the region's winemakers.  We visited five after all was said and done, here is a recap our first stop, the Two Paddocks vineyard in the Gibbston Valley, near Queenstown.

Two Paddocks is Sam Neill's hobby (pictured above - best known for his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park).  Two Paddocks grows mostly Pinot Noir (get ready for a lot of Pinot - Central Otago's forte), but they also make a riesling, a very popular combo in Central Otago.




With its 80 hectares of Pinot, Two Paddocks makes 3 versions: The Picnic Pinot Noir ($28NZ), Two Paddocks Pinot Noir ($55NZ), and a premium single vineyard that retails for $75NZ of which we didn't catch a whiff (they only box up 150 cases of it/year...I'm sure Mr. Neill takes a few).  The Picnic is definitely not plonk, but it is their cheaper option and main focus right now.

The highlight of our visit came when our tasting host whipped out an empty 2000 La Tache (see above...for non-oeniphiles, La Tache is a stupid-fresh Grand Cru Burgundy) bottle and asked what we thought that particular pinot retailed at.  After a few guesses and some over-under info from the host, Cael had finished his DCF and proceeded to step up and nail the wine's $3,500 price (it took him a few seconds to look up the most recent exchange rates).  This appraisal earned him a free bottle of the Two Paddocks Pinot (see pic).

Anyway, we tried the Picnic Riesling and the two lesser Pinots.  The Riesling was pretty clean and sharp with a green apple nose; it wasn't that sweet which I've learned is key for me with Rieslings.  They use a Vinsanto style to make this one, which is when you sweeten the grapes by drying them out on straw mats after harvest.  The Pinots didn't blow me away, but the more expensive varietal was cool because it reminded me of the barnyard Ducru from I think 1981 (help Dad, which one is it? please comment).  Unfortunately, you can't get any of these 3 in the states, it costs Sam $2-3 per bottle to ship to us because of our extensive three-tiered importing rules.  Stay tuned for the other four stops we made....

-Trevor