TWO PADDOCKS THE LAST CHANCE PINOT NOIR 2023

New Zealand Organic Wine Awards 'Sustainable Vineyard of the Year' 2024

“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.

A seamless example of the Last Chance vineyard, showing brilliance, clarity and poise.

Rated Outstanding & 96/100 Cameron Douglas MS, August 2026 (2023 Vintage)
"A vibrant, fruity, fleshy and lively bouquet filled with scents of roses and red berries, wild forest cherries and plums then a silty soil and dried herb background voices. A mix of sweet oak and baking spices and leesy baking spice layers suggesting clove and vanilla. A dry wine touches the palate with textures from tannins and acidity speaking first, a tautness and poise suggests this wine is still knitting together and needs cellar time. Fruit, wood and earth flavours follow with the power and intensity of the vintage and region. Lengthy, poised, dry and complex, a wine to savour from 2030 through 2040+."

Reviews for the 2022 vintage below…

97/100 JamesSuckling.com (2022 Vintage)
"A scented nose of sour cherries, orange peel, dried flowers and baking spices. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Pristine and focused, with plenty of energy and brightness on the palate. Long, vibrant finish. From organically grown grapes."

95/100 Susie Barrie MW & Peter Richards MW (UK), Susie & Peter New Zealand Wines of the Year 2026 (2022 Vintage)
"Visiting the Last Chance vineyard, perched in bright clear air above the Earnscleugh Valley, with its panoramic views and perky Pinot Noir vines, is one of life’s great wine experiences. So it’s wonderful to be able to experience this special spot vicariously through the wine, too, one of many impressive Pinot Noirs from the Two Paddocks stable. This is one of the world’s most southerly vineyards and its name comes from the watercourse that runs through the heart of the property, hand dug by gold miners in the 1860s. Soils are schist gravels and winemaking in this vintage involved 85% whole-bunch fermentation then 12 months in French oak barrels (18% new). There’s real intensity and energy here, from the dark plum and wild berry fruit to the flinty, baked thyme notes and mineral, structured palate profile. A bold, heart-warming style that develops in the glass."