The idyllic ripening conditions around Marlborough's finest vineyards sprout some of the world's most prized Sauvignon Blanc. Twin Islands creates exceptional Marlborough wines, which are crafted with early and regular enjoyment in mind. Since inaugural release, Twin Islands has represented excellence in winemaking, delivering fully flavoured, benchmark Sauvignon Blanc. Already a highly successful entrant at wine competitions, having claimed significant accolades at the New World Wine Awards, New Zealand International, Air New Zealand and Royal Easter.

$2399each $287DOZEN EACH DOZEN Established in the early 1990s, Twin Islands is symbolic of the two main Islands of Aotearoa. A harvest of Sauvignon Blanc from good Marlborough vineyards. Each site brings its own characters and flavours to the blend. The grapes are harvested in the cool of the morning, gently crushed and pressed to separate the full flavoured grape juice from the skins. The juices are then allowed to settle prior to racking and clarifying. Components are treated to a long cool fermentation before taste trials and blending aimed at retaining the aromatics and fresh fruit characters. The finished wine is assembled to express a range of flavours from capsicum and citrus through to gooseberry and ripe tropical fruits.

Pale straw in colour. Fragrances of gooseberry and capsicum, bouquets of passionfruit and gooseberry, followed by the green vegetal of peas and asparagus, grasses and stalk. The palate unfolds to lemon and lychee, passionfruits, citrus and tropical pacific flavours. Great drinking now until release of the next vintage.

An assemblage of fruit grown to several elite Central Otago sites, the estate flagship barrel selection, from the Sam Neill family vineyards, normally a selection picked off Gibbston First Paddock, Bannockburn's Fusilier and Earnscleugh's Red Bank. A charming effort in Burgundian styling, unequivocally world class, artisanally crafted Central Otago Pinot Noir. Each block and clone are picked and fermented separately, the final wine is assembled just before bottling. Small batch? You bet, a mere few hundred dozen are made each year.

$6599each $791DOZEN EACH DOZEN The original Sam Neill vineyard at the heart of Gibbston Valley. Low yielding vines allow grapes to slowly ripen in the classic cool climate manner. Vineyards are high density, planted to a range of clonal material and intensively man handled, nearly all vineyard practices are carried out by hand, to the exception of compost spreading. Ferments include a component of whole bunches treated to oak barrel vinification. Musts are cold soaked for several days and hand plunged throughout the ferments. Two Paddocks spends time macerating on skins, extracting tannin, colour and aromatics before being gently drained and pressed to small French oak barriques for a year.

Vibrant ruby color. Lifted perfumed nose, this wine exhibits dark cherry and plum fruit characters, with a concentrated herbal complexity, depth and persistence before a distinctive lengthy savoury finish. Classic Central Otago Pinot, complex yet elegant and well structured, full of wild spices. violets and luscious fruit.

Sam Neill's perennial favourite, from the original planting of his homestead vines at the heart of Gibbston Valley. Established 1993 to a unique Burgundian clone of Pinot Noir, meticulously husbanded, First Paddock is one of the eldest blocks of vine in all Central Otago. Vibrant ruby hues, lifted perfumed bouquet of dark cherries and plum, concentrated herbal complexities, depth and persistence before a distinctive lengthy savoury finish. The articulation of Central Otago Pinot Noir complex yet elegant, generously proportioned, brimming with fruit, superbly structured, florals, violets and wild spice.

$7999each $957DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Sam Neill's father was a major in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, he returned to the family wine and liquor business after retirement and inspired his famous son to take up viticulture. There are six hectares of Fusilier under vine, planted to deep alluvial silty gravels, on a steppe of rolling northerly facing terraces at the western end of Felton Road. A mix of stemmed grapes and whole bunches are filled to 3½ tonne wooden cuvee for several days cold soak and wild yeast ferment, followed by transfer to medium and light toast French oak barriques for eleven months maturation.

$7999each $959DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Deep scarlet hues. Spicy red fruit notes, dried herb and wildflower bouquets. Beauteous palate of luscious fruit pectin characters, cherries and morello, winegums and jube, sasafras and a robe of gentle spiced carob oak, structured yet deferential tannins in support, a feminine, lithe and textural driven wine, exhibiting great tension and verve, density and persistence.

Earnscleugh Valley was the site of a gold rush in the 1860s, the industrious miners dug a watercourse through the valley which today serves to nourish the world's southernmost appellation of Pinot Noir. The Last Chance is a small scenic terrace, planted to a special Burgundy clone of Pinot Noir which yields a magnificently structured, generously proportioned wine. Carefully sorted bunches of hand picked fruit, treated to a traditional old world ferment in open vats and term of age in fine French oak. A lifted spice and dried herb nose before a palate of amazing density, length and persistence, elegance and poise.

$7999each $957DOZEN EACH DOZEN

The Picnic Point label depicts Sam Neill's grandparents picnicking on Karitane Beach at Otago circa 1919. The jovial chap with a pipe is Sidney Neill, established importer of French wines, among other things. Some friends, a blanket or two, a bit of lunch and a glass of wine, looks like life was good. Picnic Point is made for times like these. Sam Neill's entry level Pinot Noir, though by any measure, a praiseworthy effort. Each year Picnic Point release a limited amount of vintage, so you may find yourself on a journey bound for Central Otago to find it.

$4099each $491DOZEN EACH DOZEN Picnic Point is a perennial favourite at Two Paddocks, the wine Sam Neill enjoys everyday! Central Otago presents its fair share of challenges to growers, the most notable being early frosts in Gibbston and late frosts in the Alexandra basin. The viticultural and winemaking team walk the vineyards at harvest, tasting the grapes to determine time for harvest. All grapes are hand picked, most bunches are de-stemmed and cold macerated for a week. Following completion of a wild, indigenous ferment, batches are treated to a further week of maceration on skins. Components are transferred to a selection of seasoned French medium toast barriques for ten months maturation, before racking and bottling.

Rich ruby colour. Brambles and plum up front, herbs and spice on the mid palate with savoury undertones. Redcurrant, bramble, wildflower and spice aromatics followed by a richly textured wine. Nice tension, flow and persistence. A splendid expression of Central Otago, elegant, complex and structured, full of the traditional qualities expected of fine Pinot Noir.

$3399each $407DOZEN EACH DOZEN

A generously flavoured Marlborough wine which has claimed highly coveted accolades at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. Tylers Stream is a boutique operation which continues to grow from strength to strength. Completely unoaked, in easy drinking styling, it sings of kiwifruit and lychee. Many of the contributing vines surround the winery itself, whence the Tyler Stream flows closely by. Kiwifruit, lemongrass and passion throughout, firm but balanced acid backbone, a generous wine of concentration and poise.

$1699each $203DOZEN EACH DOZEN Tylers Stream is vinified from grapes grown to the Wairau Valley, off vines planted to relatively young riverbed soils that generally are stony, well drained and quite silty. The long cool growing seasons of these highly favourable microclimes, as characterised by warm sunny days and cool nights, achieve fruit with good natural acidity and clean, fresh flavours. Soil profiles, vineyard practices and levels of fruit maturity at harvest all contribute complexity to the finished wine. Tylers Stream is crafted by Andrew Hedley from parcels of choice Sauvignon Blanc, fashioned into a clean and forward drinking, unwooded fruit driven styling without any exposure to oak.

Like it's namesake, Tyler's Stream gleams in the glass, a crystal clear pale straw. A deliciously vibrant, fruit packed entry with fresh, lifted, fully ripe aromas. Intensely pungent with asparagus, petulant characters of freshly cut grass and smacks of green vegetable. Lively palate of pineapple and gooseberry, ample citrus, tangy with lime before a clean, lingering finish.

$4299each $515DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Belford Vineyard paradoxically produces the bigger yet softer of all Tyrrell's premium Semillon wines. Belford is the Hunter Valley archetype, showing a tightly structured palate with considerable length and breadth of citrus honey flavours. Unequivocally a sublime drink with a fully engaging nose and palate, already displaying toasty bottle aged complexity. Since 1982, Belford has claimed an extraordinary list of significant wine show trophies and copious gold medals.

$3699each $443DOZEN EACH DOZEN From fruit grown to the Belford property, owned and operated by the Elliotts, just fifteen kilometres northwest of the Tyrrell wineworks. Edward Tyrrell planted his first vines in 1858 after receiving a grant over poor pasture land in the lee of Brokenback Range. Tyrrell can lay claim to being one of the only companies in the world to have inaugurated a distinctive genre of wine, Hunter Valley Semillon. At just over four hectares and completely dry grown, Belford was established 1933 to very fine sandy loams, almost talcum powder in consistency. Grapes are all hand picked, lightly crushed and coolly fermented, after a term on gross lees, Belford is racked and treated to an unoaked maturation before bottling. Alcohol 11.0%

Straw coloured. A classic Hunter Semillon showing a tightly structured palate with considerable length and breadth of citrus honey flavours. Belford develops honey characters but maintains its natural fresh acid. The last of the Semillon picked, characterized by the fuller palate of Belford vineyard, a Semillon of great fruit intensity and a high, clean acid finish.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN

$1599each $191DOZEN EACH DOZEN