Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle Brut NV

Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle Brut is Central Otago's benchmark bottle-fermented sparkling, made from a blend of 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Chardonnay grown on Quartz Reef's certified organic and biodynamic Bendigo estate. Pale in colour with a plush, exacting mousse, it offers a complex bouquet of apple, lemon and leesy brioche built on the wine's high acid line and fresh autolysis character. The palate is crisp, taut and bone dry, with pristine fruit and real length. Hand-riddled and hand-disgorged at the winery, it's a versatile, food-friendly sparkling built for any occasion. Best enjoyed from release through 2030.

What the winery says:

Quartz Reef's sparkling wine programme began in the late 1990s, when founding winemaker Rudi Bauer recognised that the cool Bendigo site's naturally high acidity suited Methode Traditionnelle as well as Pinot Noir. The current release is a selected blend of 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Chardonnay, bottle-fermented and aged on lees before being riddled and disgorged by hand at the winery. The fruit is certified organic and biodynamic, grown on the estate's cool, long-season Bendigo vineyard, which builds natural structure and preserves freshness in the finished wine.

Cameron Douglas, MS, camdouglasms.com, 94 Points (NV, Current Release)

"A delicious wine with a plush and exacting mousse, a complexity driven by the autolysis and freshness, high acid line and pristine fruit of apple and lemon, fresh white and leesy layers. Crisp, taut, refreshing and dry. A wine for any occasion, balanced, salivating and ready. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2030."