Remember movies like The Piano,
Jurassic Park or The Hunt for Red October? What do these pictures all
have in common? Any idea? Well, if you have good eyesight and look at
the admittingly tiny photo above a bit closer you might recognize a
gentleman. The gentleman to the left. Of course the one on the label,
not the one in the background who seems to take his Fido out for an
early morning walk in Kensington Gardens. This very gentleman is the -
let's say - „unifying dimenson“ with the name: Sam Neill. A still
very well known actor from New Zealand who started the Two Paddocks
winery as proprietor in 1993 near Gibbston in Central Otago by
planting 5 acres of Burgundian Pinot Noir clones. By the way, you can
check out his true passion for Pinot Noir in a number of really funny clips
on the winery's website. Now back to history: About the same time his
friend Roger Donaldson planted another vineyard right next door.
Hence the name for the winery was born: Two Paddocks! Since the late
1990s production increased significantly. Since then Two Paddocks
produces up to five Pinot Noirs (depending on the vintage) each year.
Since 2003 Two Paddocks also produces two Rieslings from Red Bank
vineyard in the Alexandra Basin in the south of Central Otago. From a
European perspective the true end of the wineworld! A part of today's
entry-level Pinot Noir from 2012 with the well fitting name Picnic comes also from this very southern area around
Alexandra. The grapes for the Picnic were harvested by hand, up to
85% were de-stemmed and were given a 5 to 7 days of cold maceration.
Fermentation on skins with indigenous yeasts took another 5 to 7
days. Afterwards the Picnic was aged for 10 months in 1 to 4 year old
French medium toasted barriques. Well, let's have our first sip of
this very very distant Pinot Noir ….
The colour of my Picnic Pinot was more
garnet than ruby red, very transparent, very clear and all the way to
its corona still continously colourful. Its nose showed vital rosehips,
dried hay, perhaps a hint of wild roses, Volvic mineral water, more
red currant than raspberries and nicely reduced fragrances which
reminded me of dark earth. Overall a really well balanced, mostly
fruit-driven and quite characterful entry-level Pinot nose from
Central Otago - which was totally free from warm or rich seeming allures. Its
taste was determined, honest and very straight forward. Very lively,
quite crisp – really good acid, and packed with well balanced
aromas of red currants and some raspberries. Traces of the dried hay
and reduced mineral aspects seemed a bit more shy, but still quite convincingly integrated.
Everything on the palate seemed very cool and relaxed. No oak, alcohol or candy sweetness
issues at all –> a balance you don't find that easy in
entry-level Pinots from Central Otago ... just my opinion. Indeed a very sociable Pinot Noir. Well, sociable for people who have an understanding for lean,
direct, a bit forthright and crisp Pinot, I guess. For others it might be a bit too light and
even a bit too serious. I really enjoyed this one! Showing great at the moment! A most
definite decent****, perhaps even very decent***** Pinot from the
end of the long white cloud.
Next time I will have some Saar Riesling, well kind of ..., from South Australia!
Next time I will have some Saar Riesling, well kind of ..., from South Australia!
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