Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern are honoring their late friend and colleague Sam Neill by sharing a glass of his wine. The actresses, both 59, posted an image on Instagram holding a bottle of Two Paddock's Last Chance Pinot Noir, a wine from Neill's vineyard in New Zealand's Central Otago region.
"Raising a glass to our beloved friend and leading man, Sam," Kidman captioned the image. "Just the way he would want, toasting with his gorgeous Pinot."
Neill died on July 13, 2026, at St. Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney from pneumonia. He was 78. The news followed his announcement just three months prior that he had been declared cancer-free after a battle with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
Fans have also been paying tribute to the screen legend by purchasing his wine. Liquorland reported that sales of Two Paddocks pinot noir increased by 1,828 percent in the days after Neill's death, moving from the chain's 423rd best-selling bottle to fifth place. Boutique wine stores also experienced a surge, with Regional Wines in Wellington selling out its entire stock on the day of Neill's passing, and Moore Wilson's reporting sales five times their usual volume.
"Customers have shared plans to enjoy Sir Sam Neill's movies with a glass of his pinot noir," Amanda Thompson, general manager at Moore Wilson's, told The Guardian. "Others are stocking up the cellar, and some of the cafes and restaurants were putting up a blackboard special to celebrate his life."
Neill's passion for winemaking was well-known among his peers. He produced pinot noir, riesling, and rosé under the Two Paddocks label and was known for donating bottles to charity auctions and sharing them with friends and family.
Neill's family described his death as "sudden and unexpected" in a statement released on his Instagram page. "It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney, Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life," they said. "The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer–free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care."
An outpouring of grief followed Neill's death, with numerous celebrities, including "Jurassic Park" director Steven Spielberg, paying tribute. Spielberg recalled Neill's collaborative nature and his exceptional performances, noting, "I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world."