The First Paddock is Two Paddocks original vineyard. Planted in 1993, it is among Central Otagos oldest vineyards, superbly situated in upper Gibbston, meticulously tended and planted to carefully selected Burgundian Pinot Noir vines clones. This wine is typically sourced from the same 25 rows of Clone 5, planted in 1993. Hand harvested and sorted then a 50% whole bunch indigenous ferment in a dedicated First Paddock French oak vat. Matured in 30% new French oak with the balance in older wood for an extended 14 months of barrel maturation. The First Paddock Pinot Noir is typically dark, brooding and spicy, with dried herb aromatics and a textured palate showing brightness, finesse and elegance on a long finish.

PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY, Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune blanc

The Fusilier Vineyard is named in honour of proprietor Sam Neills father, Major Dermot Neill, a soldier in the Royal Irish Fusilier Regiment for 20 years before returning home to Dunedin, New Zealand, where he ran the family Wine & Spirit business, Neill & Co. Planted entirely in 2000, The Fusilier is 5.6 hectares of Pinot Noir on rolling northerly facing terraces at the western end of Felton Road and bordered by the vineyard of the same name. Soils consist of deep alluvial fans made up of varying depths of silt, sand and gravel layering, all derived from mountainous raw schist parent material. Grapes for The Fusilier are hand picked and sorted in the vineyard, naturally fermented with one-third whole-bunches in a 3.5 tonne wooden vat, followed by a five-day cold soak. The wine is then transferred to medium and light toast French barriques (one-third new) for 11 months maturation. Light filtration prior to bottling. Fusilier Pinots typically show spicy red fruit, dried herb and wildflower aromatics leading to a feminine, lithe and textural driven wine.

Biodynamic. The standard of Weinbach’s Pinot has gone through the roof. There are now five single-vineyard Pinots in the range. The Clos des Capucins bottling leans towards early-ish drinking, with quality pitched towards the village-level wines of Burgundy. Stylistically, it can equally resemble the high-grown Pinots from the Jura or even the best German Pinots as much as those of the Côte d’Or. The fruit fermented spontaneously with 20% bunches and spent about 20 days on skins. It was raised in mature Burgundy barrels for 14 months before being bottled unfiltered. The result is a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir, combining subtle tannins, refreshing texture and a mouth-watering, powdery close. This is very, very good—a unique and terrific alternative to Burgundy.

Giant Steps plays it's part in the rapid accension of Australian Chardonnay back to the position it once held here. That being of the king of white varieties. This is a very stylish numbe from Phil Sexton and his team. Stonefruit, melon and butterscotch characters are supported by vanillin oak and the palate is long and textured with a clean crisp finish.

Moss Wood are not know for their Pinot Noir, however this is a fine a unique expression of region and variety. A fruit bomb of rich and integrated flavours of cherry, spice, charry oak and silky finesse on the finish. The flavours pop and linger in the mouth long after the wine has left it.

A fine and quite flinty modern expression of Margaret River Chardonnay. Finer and leaner it might be in some ways, but the unmistakable power and persistence of the region still triumphs. Complex mealy grapefruit and roasted nut characters on the nose, and a deep and richly intense palate power through to the finish.