Two Paddocks The Last Chance Pinot Noir 2021

The Wine

“We grow our premium Two Paddocks Pinot Noir entirely on our four small vineyards in Central Otago. In some exceptional vintages, listening carefully, we realise that one of these sites may have something extraordinary to say in its own right. It is only then that we will make one of these very rare single vineyard wines.”
— Sam Neill, Proprietor

The Last Chance is a beautifully sited two-hectare terrace perched in bright clear air above the Earnscleugh Valley, carefully planted with well-tended Burgundian clone Pinot Noir. It nestles amongst a small cluster of the world’s most southerly vineyards and takes its name from the watercourse that runs through its heart, hand dug by gold miners in the 1860s. The Last Chance soils are raw schist gravels that are low in fertility and require careful nurturing.

96 Pts The Weekend Australian 'From an elevated site in Earnscleugh, this wine more than matches the beauty of its birthplace with drama in the glass. Red and black berries, wild herb and dried flowers explode from the glass; the palate ripples with dark, fleshy fruit and tapers to a sustained finished shaped by gravelly tannins.'

The Details
Variety - Pinot Noir
Country - New Zealand 
Region - Gibbston, Central Otago
Extra - Screw Cap
Year - 2021
Volume - 750mls

About the Wine Maker

Actor, writer and farmer - Sam Neill was also one of the earliest Central Otago winegrowers, planting his original 5-hectare vineyard, The First Paddock, at Gibbston in 1993. After the first vintage release in 1997, Sam aspired to “have small footprints in camps of excellence throughout the region” and planted 2 further sites; Red Bank Farm and Last Chance, both in Alexandra. Finally, in 2013, Sam bought ‘The Fusilier’, an established vineyard on Felton Rd, Bannockburn. Winemaker, Dean Shaw, has been with Sam since 1998 and crafts a stunning family of estate grown, certified organic wines that are renowned for understated precision and finesse. BioGroNZ #4816