2018 Charteris Hawkesbury Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Mid-ruby with aromas of raspberry pip, glacé cherry, wild strawberry and redcurrant fruits with hints of five-spice, mushroom broth, char siu, leaf litter, sandalwood, roast duck, dried rose petals and earth. There’s a real sense of grace to this wine’s travel on the palate. Nothing competes. Fruit, oak, tannin and acidity all simpatico and in sync, lending a real harmony to the wine’s composition, the finish sailing long and true. It seems younger and is right in its groove.

95 points Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion Mar 2025

Charteris is one of New Zealand's most thoughtful small producers, founded by PJ Charteris after a career spent working with some of the country's leading wineries. His philosophy is simple: allow exceptional vineyard sites to speak clearly through minimal intervention winemaking. The Hawkesbury Pinot Noir is sourced from a carefully selected vineyard in Central Otago, a region celebrated for producing some of the Southern Hemisphere's most compelling expressions of Pinot Noir.

Central Otago's dramatic landscape of mountains, schist soils and extreme diurnal temperature shifts provides ideal conditions for Pinot Noir. The Hawkesbury vineyard benefits from warm days that build flavour concentration and cool nights that preserve freshness and aromatic detail. The outstanding 2018 vintage delivered fruit of exceptional quality, and several years of bottle age have allowed the wine to develop additional complexity while retaining vibrant fruit character.

Deep ruby red with garnet highlights beginning to emerge, the bouquet reveals layers of dark cherry, wild strawberry and plum alongside notes of rose petal, five spice and dried thyme. With time in the glass, more savoury characters of forest floor, truffle and subtle oak spice appear, adding depth and intrigue. The palate is beautifully textured and harmonious, combining ripe red and dark berry fruits with silky tannins and bright natural acidity. A fine mineral thread carries through the wine, leading to a long, elegant finish filled with spice, earth and lingering cherry notes.

This is a superb partner for duck breast, roast pork with fennel, venison loin, wild mushroom risotto or a beetroot and walnut tart. Drinking beautifully now, it will continue to evolve gracefully over the next five to eight years, rewarding those who appreciate mature cool climate Pinot Noir.