2022 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Biodynamically farmed, Bendigo-born pinot noir. Bright ruby in the glass with aromas of dark cherry and plum fruits veiled with hints of exotic spice, crushed schist, wildflowers, thyme, fennel tops, dried shiitake, dried meats and earth. Purely fruited with a dry, savoury travel across the palate, powdered by a fine, mineral-laden acidity and fine, powdered, schisty tannins. The finish shows abundant energy, complexity and regional verve. Drink 2026 to 2041.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, March 2026

This is very structured for a 2022, with fine, linear tannins that run the length of the wine, giving backbone, focus and a tight fruit structure. It’s very typical for a Central Otago pinot. So much clarity and focus to this. Drink now or hold.

95 points James Suckling, May 2024

The 2022 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir nose is electric, with blood orange and brine, cherry pip and raspberry, cranberry and caper berry. In the mouth, the wine is energetic and spicy, with a long spool of tannin and fruit entwined through the finish. It’s floral and bloody as well. It’s an utterly lovely and wonderful wine with a super pleasant aftertaste that lingers. Drink 2023 to 2035.

94+ points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, December 2023

Deep, ripe purple fruit with floral nuances and hints of cocoa are framed by earthy, grainy, chocolaty tannins. The mid-weight fruit needs time to rise to above the considerable structure as this is quite closed and brooding at present but there is certainly depth to the wine and it will come in time. Drink 2025 to 2031.

92 points Stephen Wong MW for The Real Review, November 2024

Rudi Bauer arrived in New Zealand from Austria in 1985 on a six-month visa, made Central Otago's first gold medal Pinot Noir at Rippon in 1991, and in 1996 planted what would become the first vines in the Bendigo subregion. Quartz Reef is built on that pioneering spirit and takes its name from New Zealand's largest quartz deposit which lies beneath the vines at Bendigo Station. Rudi makes some of New Zealand's most acclaimed Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines, and what many consider the finest Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling wine in the country.

From the Bendigo estate vineyard planted 1998, a north-facing slope at 217–264 metres on fine sandy loam and steepland soils, certified organic and biodynamic since the beginning.

The 2022 was a generous vintage. Good spring rains, followed by warm, dry ripening from January through April, and the quality of what arrived in the winery was pronounced. Six clones were hand-picked across three days in mid-March and vinified separately, each with a small portion of whole clusters. Up to seven days cold soak before indigenous yeast fermentation, daily plunging and post-maceration of up to nine days — 21–26 days total on skins. Drained directly to French oak barriques, 27% new, for 12 months with natural malolactic fermentation.

Dark cherry, blood orange, crushed schist and wildflower on the nose, with exotic spice, dried thyme and a savoury, earthy depth beneath. The palate is energetic and mineral-driven with fine, powdery tannins and a long, focused finish.

The wine will find a food partner in anything earthy that deserves a proper glass: a roasted duck with cherry and thyme, or maybe a slow-braised lamb neck with dried herbs and a nice red wine reduction.

Opening up but has plenty of years ahead of it. Drink now through 2035.