James Suckling – Firm and tight licorice, graphite, slate and light dried strawberry. Goes to iron. Flowers. Medium body. Creamy and fine tannins with a rather dusty finish. Fresh acidity and long and linear finish. Structured. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2024, but already beautiful. - 98 Points, James Suckling

James Suckling – Aromas of racy red fruits of cranberries and strawberries with rose petals, red licorice and tangerines. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and fine-grained juicy tannins. Tangy and appetizing wine with good drinkability. Slightly sweet and sour fruit at the end.

The Wine Front – Struck match, preserved lemon, pine-lime, aniseed, cashew and spice. It’s glossy, with a bit of parmesan rind savouriness, bright grapefruity acidiy, creamy cashew, excellent intensity, and a flinty yet rich finish of excellent length.

World Wine – "Intense, mouthwatering chardonnay with lime, pineapple, oyster shell/mineral, hazelnut and subtle spicy oak flavours. Delicious high-energy wine in a rather Chablis-esque style with purity and power." - 96pts, Bob Campbell MW

James Suckling – Inviting aromas of flint, matchstick, grated nutmeg, dried lemon rind and sliced grapefruit. Medium-bodied with silky texture. Fresh and bright fruit turns more savory with herbs and spice coming to the forefront. Layered. Tannic, tight finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.

The Wine Front – Pretty, floral, red and black fruit, a sneaky grid of pepper, dried roses and violet. Medium-bodied, concentrated, a little liquorice and spice, nutty, dense and clenched, very graphite and ‘mineral’ character, beef stock and meaty flavours too, and a long finish packed with silty tannin, coffee bean and violet. Beautiful Syrah here. All just so.

Wine Enthusiast – Simply put, this is a beauty of a Bullnose bottling. The ancient red-iron soils of this long-standing Hawkes Bay estate have turned out an evocative nose of plum and blueberry amid a sappy, early spring forest of fresh flowers, herbs and spice (think sage, bay, peppercorn, anise). There's brightness and freshness to the silky palate despite the chiseled tannins. Captures not only a sense of place but also Syrah's often elusive tightrope walk of power and elegance. Drink now–2030.

Huon Hooke – Deep, bright purple/red colour and a very aromatic pepper and mixed spice bouquet that shouts 'cool-climate shiraz'. The wine is medium to full-bodied and elegantly shaped, soft fine tannins doing a great job to restrain the exuberant fruit. Refreshing acidity is perfectly harmonised. A gem of a shiraz, very much a northern Rhône style, appropriately labelled syrah.

The Wine Front – There’s a curious smell of neoprene here, or bicycle inner-tube, aside that there’s cherry and raspberry, charcoal briquettes, cassia bark, and some dried rose and mint perfume. It’s medium-bodied, dried cherry and pomegranate, a smoky and smudgy feel to tannin, quite savoury and autumnal, with a spiced tobacco finish of good length. Nice wine. Fleshy and flavoursome, with a little tamarillo/sweet tomato tang to close.

World Wine – The wine offers splendid juicy fruit attack on the nose, showing dark plum and raspberry coulis characters with nuances of toasted almond, thyme and mixed spice. The palate is succulent and beautifully rounded, offering lovely flow and supple texture.Wonderfully composed and elegantly expressed with loads of delectable flavours, superbly structured by polished tannins. Delicious already with a potential to evolve gracefully. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

James Suckling – "The most complex of Marlborough sauvignons is looking the goods in this warmer vintage. There's a heady reductive layer that delivers flinty grapefruit notes and lemon pith. The palate texture is superb; starts on point and builds weight and layers of texture through the mid-palate with abundant gooseberry and lime flavor, then finishes pure, focused and true."

The Wine Front – Biodynamic farming, lees maturation, attention to detail, great vineyard sites. Rudi Bauer of Quartz Reef has many positives in the manifestation of his life work. Beyond that, and so often it’s hard to separate the person who makes the wine from the wine itself, he’s an outstanding human. And hilarious. That being said, it means little when wines are in brown paper bags being tasted. This wine leapt from the pack. Incredible intensity, inward concentration, a knife edge of acidity in finely wrapped layers of toastiness, marzipan, brioche with a sleek, lean profile of green apple and citrus. Fine, fine bubbles add dimension and freshness. Aside its precision, it’s gorgeous to drink, refreshing the palate with each sip, leaving lingering detail of the presence of the wine. Insanely good drinking. It’s fine wine personified. Kudos here.

Wine Spectator –

The Wine Front – Almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, green tobacco, a little gun smoke, nashi pear and nectarine. There’s some real lemonade flavour along with dried pear, a pleasing crunch and freshness to acidity, a friand and dried coconut richness, and a bright finish of excellent length. Very good Chardonnay. Ticks a lot of boxes, you might say.

James Suckling – Expressive nose of white grapefruit, white pears, sea shells, nutmeg, cloves and dried lemons. It's medium- to full-bodied with a creamy and layered texture. Vibrant. Lovely sweet fruit and integrated subtle spice notes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Huon Hooke – Light, bright yellow hue with a complex bouquet of sneaky hints of buttered toast, roasted hazelnuts and underlying citrus fruits, lemon and grapefruit. Creamy lees and shortbread-like malo characters. There is excellent intensity of flavour powered along by great acidity that really drives the wine and prevents it being heavy. Concentration and drive in spadefuls. A generous, mouth-filling chardonnay with great amplitude and incredible length. Very satisfying to sip. No hurry to drink it—and time will bring increased complexity.

James Suckling – Quince, ripe apple skin, and acacia followed by pistachios, almonds and a hint of beeswax. Medium- to full-bodied, crisp acidity with underlying sliced ginger notes on the palate and finish. Pungent and complex wine. Dry at the end with a slight oiliness.

Wine Enthusiast – Richly fruited and engaging, the wine shows dark cherry, smoked game, clove, cedar and floral aromas, followed by a sumptuous palate that’s both powerful and refined. Superbly structured by layers of fine tannins and silky texture, finishing impressively long and satisfying. At its best: now to 2036. (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit)

Decanter – Best in Show, Decanter World Wine Awards 2022

World Wine – 'Orange-tinted wine from a lengthy period in contact with the skins. Dry, flavoursome pinot gris with quince, cherry, anise, spice and floral characters. An intriguing wine with a peppery tannic texture that gives support without pain. I am not a great fan of many 'orange' wines but I do like this example. Drink: 2018-2022' 94 POINTS Bob Campbell, therealreview.com

Wine Enthusiast – "Superbly harmonious and multi-layered with a prolonged velvety finish." (Sam Kim)

The Wine Front – Seem to have missed the 2020 Bullnose, though here we are with the 2021, which is a similar vintage in terms of quality and character, though comes with a bit more freshness in terms of acid profile, and perhaps more aromatics. Intense purple colour. Very bright and floral, a sniff of black and white pepper and baking spice, really quite exotic perfume here, grilled meat, purple fruit, boysenberry. Gee, it really pops. Medium-bodied, bright and fresh, lots of energy, red fruits, graphite tannin, umami flavours but not at the expense of fragrance and finesse. Finish is excellent, and long, kind of dusty and spicy, a distinctly cool ‘mineral’ feel, with a game and juniper berry edge. A terrific expression of HB Syrah.

James Suckling – This includes some Gimblett Gravel fruit which gives black and white pepper, iodine, lead pencil, and black fruit aromas and flavors. Tar and asphalt. Full-bodied and tied in with a lovely structure and focus. Linear and very racy. Terrific integration and structure. Drinkable, but better in two or three years.

Wine Enthusiast – This is gracefully opulent and sophisticated with Black Doris plum, dark cherry, dried herb, toasted almond and subtle savoury notes on the nose. The palate is robust and substantial, while remaining gorgeously harmonious and elegant. Silky and plush within a sturdy frame, promising to evolve magnificently. At its best: now to 2038. (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit)

Wine Enthusiast – 94/100 Points – NZ Wine Rater Magazine