There's A New Wine In The Paddock
Actors and Vineyards!
It used to be that one's fantasy about life's progression was "to plant a Fig tree and grow old with it!" Some would exchange the Fig with another form of arboreous love, an Oak or Cherry or maybe even that old stand by, the Apple tree! However, more and more the attention to existential survival has become-----The Vine!
Wine has been around since the dawn of civilization and the source of all wine. The vineyard, has captured man's imagination almost as long. It has come to be associated with a serenity, patience, simplicity and all that is good about life.
Lately, more and more celebrities have used their resources to fulfil this dream albeit many also do it as an investment. Steven Seagal, Mario Andretti, Dan Ackroyd, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir, Cliff Richard, Johnny Depp, Francis For Coppola, David/Victoria Beckam, Brad Pitt/Angela Jolie and Nancy Pilosi to name a few all own vineyards. Trend does not seem to be stopping none too soon either. Actor Sam Neil is doing just great with both his fine acting career and as owner (since 1993) of Two Paddocks Vineyards located in New Zealand's Central Otago (South Island).
Paddock Vineyards and Sam Neil
When I met Mr. Neil at a tasting of his Paddock wine I mentioned to him that I did not envy him since acting was a very tough profession. What I should have said was that it would be very hard for me since I just didn't have the stuff that Mr. Neil was made of!
Sam Neil is indeed one of the most talented and versatile actors that I have ever had to pleasure of watching on the big and little screens. I have never seen him in a live play but would guess that he is equally talented in that end also.
Mr. Neil's roles have been many and he plays each one that I have seen to perfection. Whether it is the restrained and loving husband in "The Horse Whisperer", a Paleontologist with a penchant for meeting Velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" or a Cardinal (Wolsey) in The Tudors, he does so with utmost competence and accuracy. His most recent project is acting in a new film yet unreleased (2012) called "The Vow".
When I met Mr. Neil he appeared very much in shape, youthful and, for a person who had only about an hour's sleep (late filming) ----very fresh and relaxed. He struck me as a very gentle, sensitive individual who did anything he attempted with a perfectionist's seriousness. Yet, he also struck me as an individual who loved life, his privacy and most of all his art! Easy to talk to and reservedly friendly, Mr. Sam Neil in my mind was the perfect example of the term "Class"!
Paddock Wines
"Class" can also be used in describing his wines. Why would one get involved in a vineyard? Well for one thing there would have to be a great deal of three items: Patience, Terroir and most of all finances. Owning a vineyard in an up and coming country like New Zealand is not for the feint hearted or the poor. There also has to be a great deal of foresight and faith about and in the product. I guess love would also have to come into the picture since if you did not love what you were involved in there would be no reciprocity and thus no reason for being there.
I would think that the work done on and with Paddock wines has certainly succeeded. The winery produces first rate Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough).
Three Vineyards
Paddock has three vineyards: First Paddock in the Gibbston Valley, Alex Paddocks near Alexandra and above the Clutha River and Redbank Paddocks Earnscleugh Valley. Two Paddocks produces two types of wine levels, Picnic Wines by Two Paddocks an affordable and top notch quaffing wine for easy drinking, nice times and fun atmosphere and Two Paddocks Pinot Noir a first rate premium contender to the Pinot crown.
The Wines
The following wines were tasted at the Albany Club, Toronto on October 21st 2010.
Picnic Riesling By Two Paddocks
Colour: Light Straw
Nose: Citrus lime and orange, hint of peach
Palate: Citrus, small suggestion of fruit sweetness, mineral/pebbles and very nice lingering crisp finish
This wine is a winner------too bad it will disappear from the shelves quickly at $19.95. Oh that Christmas Turkey!!!!
Picnic Pinot Noir 2009 (not yet released)
Produced in a cooler year with a fair bit of moisture/some early frosts.
Colour: Cherry red
Nose: Somewhat closed at first but second try revealed some spice and floral notes! Some barn characteristics followed by herbal spice and dark/red fruit.
Palate: Some strong tannins but lean---almost French like. Nice minerality and mouthfeel. A lengthy spice on the finish.An every day wine by some but will definitely improve over the next five years or possibly more if kept correctly. A credit to those who tended the vines as well as the winemaker.
Picnic Pinot Noir 2008
Nice mild year with a dry harvest
Colour: Cherry Red
Nose: Expressive red fruit with floral notes as well as a hint of barn.
Palate: Lean minerality with pleasant tannins for drinking but accentuated enough to suggest further aging of up to four years or more. Nice harmonious mouthfeel with pleasant finish.
Two Paddocks 2009
Colour: Dark Cherry Red
Nose: Needs time! Somewhat closed but initial notes of violets, dark fruit and herbal spice
Palate: Powerful tannins have a way to go towards integration but there is great future promise ahead. Mid mouthfeel and long finish. A wine to age in cellar but this will be worth it.
Two Paddocks 2007
Apparently a difficult year in the Central Otago but one where careful maintenance proved the turn around.
Colour: Ruby Red
Nose: A cornucopia of scents from violets and exotic spice to rich floral and red berry scents
Palate: Red, dark fruit with coffee and chocolate as well as some toastiness and a very nice finish. It could age a couple of more years maybe but why bother----clearly my favourite. It cries for New Zealand (or Ontario) lamb!!!!
Epilogue
While I sometimes wonder whether it is just an "it sounds like a good idea" and/or "because I can" thought process for certain celebrities to purchase and maintain vineyards, it clearly is apparent that Mr. Sam Neil invested for the right reasons and if my humble opinion is worth anything, Two Paddocks is and will continue to develop as a very well respected maker of fine wines throughout the globe. Nice stuff.
It used to be that one's fantasy about life's progression was "to plant a Fig tree and grow old with it!" Some would exchange the Fig with another form of arboreous love, an Oak or Cherry or maybe even that old stand by, the Apple tree! However, more and more the attention to existential survival has become-----The Vine!
Wine has been around since the dawn of civilization and the source of all wine. The vineyard, has captured man's imagination almost as long. It has come to be associated with a serenity, patience, simplicity and all that is good about life.
Lately, more and more celebrities have used their resources to fulfil this dream albeit many also do it as an investment. Steven Seagal, Mario Andretti, Dan Ackroyd, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir, Cliff Richard, Johnny Depp, Francis For Coppola, David/Victoria Beckam, Brad Pitt/Angela Jolie and Nancy Pilosi to name a few all own vineyards. Trend does not seem to be stopping none too soon either. Actor Sam Neil is doing just great with both his fine acting career and as owner (since 1993) of Two Paddocks Vineyards located in New Zealand's Central Otago (South Island).
Paddock Vineyards and Sam Neil
When I met Mr. Neil at a tasting of his Paddock wine I mentioned to him that I did not envy him since acting was a very tough profession. What I should have said was that it would be very hard for me since I just didn't have the stuff that Mr. Neil was made of!
Sam Neil is indeed one of the most talented and versatile actors that I have ever had to pleasure of watching on the big and little screens. I have never seen him in a live play but would guess that he is equally talented in that end also.
Mr. Neil's roles have been many and he plays each one that I have seen to perfection. Whether it is the restrained and loving husband in "The Horse Whisperer", a Paleontologist with a penchant for meeting Velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" or a Cardinal (Wolsey) in The Tudors, he does so with utmost competence and accuracy. His most recent project is acting in a new film yet unreleased (2012) called "The Vow".
When I met Mr. Neil he appeared very much in shape, youthful and, for a person who had only about an hour's sleep (late filming) ----very fresh and relaxed. He struck me as a very gentle, sensitive individual who did anything he attempted with a perfectionist's seriousness. Yet, he also struck me as an individual who loved life, his privacy and most of all his art! Easy to talk to and reservedly friendly, Mr. Sam Neil in my mind was the perfect example of the term "Class"!
Paddock Wines
"Class" can also be used in describing his wines. Why would one get involved in a vineyard? Well for one thing there would have to be a great deal of three items: Patience, Terroir and most of all finances. Owning a vineyard in an up and coming country like New Zealand is not for the feint hearted or the poor. There also has to be a great deal of foresight and faith about and in the product. I guess love would also have to come into the picture since if you did not love what you were involved in there would be no reciprocity and thus no reason for being there.
I would think that the work done on and with Paddock wines has certainly succeeded. The winery produces first rate Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough).
Three Vineyards
Paddock has three vineyards: First Paddock in the Gibbston Valley, Alex Paddocks near Alexandra and above the Clutha River and Redbank Paddocks Earnscleugh Valley. Two Paddocks produces two types of wine levels, Picnic Wines by Two Paddocks an affordable and top notch quaffing wine for easy drinking, nice times and fun atmosphere and Two Paddocks Pinot Noir a first rate premium contender to the Pinot crown.
The Wines
The following wines were tasted at the Albany Club, Toronto on October 21st 2010.
Picnic Riesling By Two Paddocks
Colour: Light Straw
Nose: Citrus lime and orange, hint of peach
Palate: Citrus, small suggestion of fruit sweetness, mineral/pebbles and very nice lingering crisp finish
This wine is a winner------too bad it will disappear from the shelves quickly at $19.95. Oh that Christmas Turkey!!!!
Picnic Pinot Noir 2009 (not yet released)
Produced in a cooler year with a fair bit of moisture/some early frosts.
Colour: Cherry red
Nose: Somewhat closed at first but second try revealed some spice and floral notes! Some barn characteristics followed by herbal spice and dark/red fruit.
Palate: Some strong tannins but lean---almost French like. Nice minerality and mouthfeel. A lengthy spice on the finish.An every day wine by some but will definitely improve over the next five years or possibly more if kept correctly. A credit to those who tended the vines as well as the winemaker.
Picnic Pinot Noir 2008
Nice mild year with a dry harvest
Colour: Cherry Red
Nose: Expressive red fruit with floral notes as well as a hint of barn.
Palate: Lean minerality with pleasant tannins for drinking but accentuated enough to suggest further aging of up to four years or more. Nice harmonious mouthfeel with pleasant finish.
Two Paddocks 2009
Colour: Dark Cherry Red
Nose: Needs time! Somewhat closed but initial notes of violets, dark fruit and herbal spice
Palate: Powerful tannins have a way to go towards integration but there is great future promise ahead. Mid mouthfeel and long finish. A wine to age in cellar but this will be worth it.
Two Paddocks 2007
Apparently a difficult year in the Central Otago but one where careful maintenance proved the turn around.
Colour: Ruby Red
Nose: A cornucopia of scents from violets and exotic spice to rich floral and red berry scents
Palate: Red, dark fruit with coffee and chocolate as well as some toastiness and a very nice finish. It could age a couple of more years maybe but why bother----clearly my favourite. It cries for New Zealand (or Ontario) lamb!!!!
Epilogue
While I sometimes wonder whether it is just an "it sounds like a good idea" and/or "because I can" thought process for certain celebrities to purchase and maintain vineyards, it clearly is apparent that Mr. Sam Neil invested for the right reasons and if my humble opinion is worth anything, Two Paddocks is and will continue to develop as a very well respected maker of fine wines throughout the globe. Nice stuff.
posted by Chuck Byers - Wine Consultant | 3:52 AM
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