2022 Charteris Hawkesbury Vineyard Pinot Noir

With lockdowns fading into history, we were back on the plane to Central Otago on a more regular basis from March 22 onward, just in time for harvest. The growing season was generally kind with mild temperatures and rainfall spread throughout the calendar. There were a couple of cold nights in November with light frost but nothing to get too nervous about. December and January were warm with flowering and fruit set obliging to bring us back to better potential yields than 2020 and 2021. February cooled off a little before March delivered stellar growing conditions setting up a very good harvest, with ample yields and excellent natural grape chemistry. A couple of rain days through April took the dry March stress off the vineyards and ensured a well-spaced harvest with a great spread of ripening dates across the Central Otago sub regions. The Hawkesbury Vineyard sits in its own little micro-climate and this vintage it really delivered with minimal frost stress and the right amount of rain at the right times. The first few blocks were picked in the second week of April with Easter giving us some breathing space before we really cracked into it straight after. In all a very seamless and potentially classic harvest.