Why it matters
The producer
Falcon Vineyard was the foundation site for Lake Chalice Wines, while the cellar now handles Marlborough fruit parcel by parcel. Chloe Gabrielsen separately ferments unique parcels from individual vineyards, keeping the fruit from each site distinct through fermentation.
Lake Chalice Wines is privately and locally owned in New Zealand, with Neal and Judy Ibbotson as owners and Chloe Gabrielsen as winemaker. The company works with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Raptor wines use particular small parcels that show clear varietal expression.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Marlborough's early growers made wine in the Wairau Valley, and Lake Chalice remains tied to that valley through Falcon Vineyard, its foundation site. Falcon lies on part of an old river course in the heart of the Wairau Valley.
The named wines extend across nearby Marlborough landscapes. Eyrie Vineyard supplies The Raptor Pinot Noir from the lower Waihopai Valley. Talon is a Sauvignon Blanc block in Dillon's Point, east of Blenheim. The Raptor Chardonnay comes from the Wairau Valley.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Gabrielsen targets particular small parcels of distinctive fruit, sometimes from a single vineyard, for The Raptor wines. Separate fermentation allows each parcel to retain its own varietal character before the wines take their place in the range.
The Raptor Chardonnay combines clone 95 with Mendoza and clone 15, with clone 95 forming the predominant portion. The grapes are hand picked and whole bunch pressed, meaning the bunches enter the press intact. Fermentation takes place in new and one year old French oak barriques using uninoculated wild fermentation. The wine completes full malolactic fermentation and matures on its own lees for about ten months. Lees are the yeast cells left after fermentation, and time on them can add palate and flavour development.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Raptor range is built around small parcels and clear grape expression. The Raptor Pinot Noir 2020 is a single vineyard red from Eyrie Vineyard. The Raptor Chardonnay 2019 is a white wine made entirely from Chardonnay from the Wairau Valley.
The Chardonnay range places The Falcon and The Raptor at different points. The Falcon offers a brighter style with bright citrus, fine texture and gentler oak influence. The Raptor is bolder and more layered, with barrel fermentation adding depth and richness.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Put The Raptor Pinot Noir first. It comes exclusively from Eyrie Vineyard in the lower Waihopai Valley and is made entirely from Pinot Noir. The grapes ferment in small open top vats, then complete malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine matures for 11 months in French oak barriques, with more than one third of the barriques new.