This 2007 First Paddock has a lifted nose that takes time to settle and coalesce: raspberry jam, damson, Chinese spices, marjoram and just a hint of black plum. Good definition. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, ripe tannins, again, Two Paddocks usual understated style, very natural and refined, less fruit and more secondary flavors lending it a gourmand quality with plum and dark cherries. It is sensuous and poised towards the finish. Showing better than last year, although quantities are minuscule and I would still err towards the regular Pinot Noir. Drink now-2013.

The 2006 First Paddock Pinot Noir has good intensity on the nose, lacking a little clarity at the moment but that will come with more bottle-age. The palate is medium-bodied with good weight, a definite Burgundian sensibility with an attractive, meaty finish. Atypical for Central Otago style but full of personality and natural, rather bucolic charm.During our brief tete-a-tete, Hollywood A-lister Sam Neill came across as passionate about wine as acting, double-checking that he had a ticket for the impending Pinot Noir Celebration whilst I sampled his Pinots. His first five-acre vineyard was planted in 1993 in Gibbston, Central Otago, debuting with the 1997 vintage since when he has expanded his holdings with -Alex Paddocks- and -Redbank Paddocks- both near Alexandra. The wine is vinified at the Central Otago Wine Company facility in Cromwell, two vintages overseen by Rudi Bauer (see Quartz Reef) and currently by Dean Shaw, who has worked in Pommard with Pascal Marchand amongst others. Indeed, Two Paddocks- style hails more towards the Cote d-Or than Central Otago, medium-bodied, earthy, brambly and natural with 20% whole-bunch ferments lending it a less fruit-driven but more complex style. The mini-vertical demonstrated a gradual improvement that I suggest is due to the maturing of vines.Importer: Total Beverage Solution, Mt. Pleasant, SC; tel. (843) 881-0761; fax (843) 881-1468