After pioneering sparkling wine production in Central Otago with Clothilde Chauvet (from the Champagne house of Marc Chauvet), winemaker Rudi Bauer has become synomonous with high quality, organically produced Méthode Traditionnelle. The current release is excellent.
Winery notes (NV)
"A sparkling wine exuding elegance and finesse. Pale yellow with a bouquet of green apple and hints of lime and brioche. On the palate, this is flirtatious and moreish. Enhanced by an invigorating cool, creamy acidity. Focused, cool and crisp with beautiful balance and length."
18.5/20 Joelle Thomson, drinksbiz Magazine, December 2023/January 2024 (NV)
"Quartz Reef Brut is one of New Zealand’s best sparkling wines, made using the champagne method of production. It emulates the blanc de noir style because it is a white wine made mostly from Pinot Noir (about 70% of the blend), with the balance being Chardonnay. This formula is consistent and the reliable depths of toasty, savoury flavours in a dry wine make this bubbly a winner. It is also certified organic, thanks to winemaker Rudi Bauer’s attention to detail in his Bendigo vineyard. Bauer pioneered this bubbly in the early days of Central Otago’s wine scene."
5 Stars & Number 3 Cuisine Méthode Traditionnelle Tasting, November 2023 (NV)
"Bright, fresh citrus aromas stream from the glass and onto the well-weighted and superbly balanced palate. Complex autolysis and creamy toasted brioche flavours ride the lifted acid line that runs along the length of the palate with hints of mouthwatering minerality to a long salivating finish."
Rated Excellent & 94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, October 2023 (NV)
"Classic, fresh, complex and inviting bouquet with aromas of brioche and peach, fresh citrus and apple. Overall an elegant, precise bouquet. Dry, saline, core of ripe white fleshed fruits and citrus, a wonderful texture from the mousse with a firm, fine bubble and lengthy lees brioche finish. A delicious wine, a perfect aperitif expression, balanced and well made with best drinking from day of purchase through 2029."
92/100 JamesSuckling.com, October 2022 (NV)
"White pears, biscuits, barley, lemons and apricot stones on the nose. Crisp and dry with fine bubbles and a medium body. Nicely linear and focused. 76% pinot noir and 24% chardonnay. From organically and biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now."
4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper, August 2021 (NV)
"This increasingly Champagne-like, non-vintage bubbly is estate-grown at Bendigo, in Central Otago, and lees-aged for at least two years. The batches vary in their varietal composition, but the release I tasted in mid 2021 is a blend of Pinot Noir (74 per cent) and Chardonnay (26 per cent). Straw hued, with a very yeasty fragrance, it has strong, peachy, yeasty flavours, showing excellent vigour and complexity, and a crisp, dry (4 grams/litre of residual sugar) finish. Certified organic."
94/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, June 2020 (NV)
"A blend of organic/biodynamic pinot noir and chardonnay grown on a steeply sloping Bendigo vineyard. A quite rich and textural sparkler, with toasty yeast autolysis, oyster shell and tangy citrus flavours. The wine has an ethereal texture and a pleasantly dry finish."
*Note for courier freight – 12 bottle freight rate applies for up to each 6 bottles – we will contact you if applicable.