Wine Article
2018 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir Picnic
Last edited on 1/31/2020 by LindsayM
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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 20th November. Again, perfect growing conditions meant veraison also began a month early on the 20th January and then the extreme heat and dry finished abruptly on the 1st 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 14th March and was over by the 11th 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 5.9 g/l Alcohol 13.0 %
Proprietor: Sam Neill
Viticulturist: Mike Wing
Winemaker: Dean Shaw
Bottled: December 2018
Production: 3700 cases
Cellaring: 2018– 2024
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 20th November. Again, perfect growing conditions meant veraison also began a month early on the 20th January and then the extreme heat and dry finished abruptly on the 1st 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 14th March and was over by the 11th 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 5.9 g/l Alcohol 13.0 %
Proprietor: Sam Neill
Viticulturist: Mike Wing
Winemaker: Dean Shaw
Bottled: December 2018
Production: 3700 cases
Cellaring: 2018– 2024