2015 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Single Vineyard Central Otago 750 ml

Kiwi Pinot Noir to rival Grand Cru Burgundy and Sonoma’s elite

If you’ve never traveled to Central Otago and enjoyed the southern island’s Tolkien-esque landscape, this is a trip you MUST take before an orthopedic surgeon counsels otherwise.  Food & Wine Magazine has described the region as “home to some of the top expressions of Pinot Noir and one of the most dazzling destinations on the planet.” A land of extremes, Central Otago‘s seasons are sharply defined: Summer highs flirt with 90 degrees before the mercury plunges at nightfall, often dipping below 50.

That dramatic diurnal temperature shift above the deepest quartz deposit in New Zealand helps explain both the lavish wild-berry concentration and electrifying acid backbone of the Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Single Vineyard from Bendigo Station — one of the most extraordinary Pinot Noirs ever to come out of New Zealand.

In 1996, Rudi Bauer, Trevor Scott, and John Perriam purchased this breathtaking property, eventually planting 74 acres to vines. It wasn’t long before the partners became enchanted by biodynamics, the rigorous farming protocol originally developed by Rudolf Steiner and practiced by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy. Bauer eschews the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, favoring instead to “replenish” the soil each year with compost-and-herbal-teas concoctions prepared at the “Nerve Centre” on the lower vineyard. Pinot Noir roots spider meters into the quartz-laden substrata, quenching thirst on underground water reserves and shrugging off the dry summer heat.

The setting is magical. The climate is extreme. In great vintages like 2015, Quartz Reef’s Single Vineyard Pinot Noir from Bendigo Station gives Grand Cru Burgundy and Sonoma’s elite — Kistler, Kosta Browne, and Luc Morlet — a run for the money.

Handpicked on April 2nd and 3rd, each small batch was vinified separately according to clone, with a small percentage of whole bunches retained. A 5- to 7-days cold soak nursed out deep color before a cool, 24-day fermentation. Barrel fermentation was carried out in small French cooperage, one-quarter of which was new.

The 2015 Quartz Reef Single Vineyard Pinot Noir is vivid dark ruby in color. Pronounced, bold aromas of black raspberry, plum, and black cherry, tinged with earthy Burgundian nuances and a distinct mineral edge. Massively concentrated and powerful, but energetic. A generous core is packed with black raspberry preserves, blood orange, and brandied cherry, finishing with a crushed rock minerality, energy and tension. Quartz Reef Pinot Noir is always tightly wound in its youth, but a bit of patience brings its own rewards. If you can manage to hold off on opening until 2018 or 2019, you’ll catch one of the world’s great bargain Pinot Noirs at its Zenith.

95 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for the most sought-after “Spectacular Pinot Noir” coming out of New Zealand. Of the 350 cases earmarked for the American market, 30 are headed for our warehouse in Napa.

$45 on release. At $36.99 per bottle, if you haven’t hit “Buy” yet, our Member Services Director, Kate, will gladly put you on a waitlist. But the chances of a cancellation? Highly unlikely. You make the call. Shipping included on 4.