In 1993, actor
Sam Neill established the Two Paddocks company with a planting of of
Pinot Noir on a small vineyard at
Gibbston, Central Otago. Alex Paddocks is a vineyard on a terrace above the
Earnscleugh Valley under some rocky headlands. It was planted with Burgundian Pinot Noir vines (5, 6, 115) in 1998. Numerous animals live in the area which Neill named after celebrities. A
kunekune is named after actor
Bryan Brown. A cow is named after
Helena Bonham Carter. In 2000, the company acquired Redbank Paddocks, a sheltered , also in the Earnscleugh Valley, which nestles between two rocky escarpments. It is planted with more Burgundian clones (777, 667, and 115) and some
Riesling. In 2001, Two Paddocks acquired an interest in another
winery, The Central Otago Wine Company, with an approximate production of 3,000 cases of wine a year. The original vineyard, First Paddock, was augmented by two other small vineyards in the
Alexandra district. After incorporating a second vineyard established by neighbouring film director
Roger Donaldson, Neill changed to the current name. Donaldson eventually built another vineyard, Sleeping Dogs, named after
the 1977 film, which had marked his directorial debut and Neill's first feature film. "The Last Chance" Pinot Noir is a single vineyard bottling from the Alex Paddocks plot, its first vintage in 2002. The company also produces the
second label Picnic, largely with sourced fruit, with bottlings of Pinot Noir,
Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling varietals. Two Paddocks also grows medicinal and culinary herbs, such as
lavender oil and
saffron. ==See also==