The grapes to produce Chardonnay The Raptor Lake Chalice were carefully selected and vinified with 100% wild yeasts. Some were vinified as whole bunches, to add complexity. The Chardonnay The Raptor Lake Chalice fermentation took place in a selection of new and seasoned French oak barriques, lasting 10 months where malolactic fermentation took place imparting a creamy texture.
The grapes are sourced exclusively from mature vines within a single hectare vineyard block called the Reed Vineyard. This beautiful vineyard is situated on an old riverbed, where the shallow, loamy Renwick soils are derived from stony alluvium and offer the wine excellent drainage. The vines are a mixture of Burgundian Chardonnay clones; predominantly they are clone 95, with a proportion of Mendoza clones and some clone 15. The fruit from this block has become renowned for delivering crisp, flinty flavours. The carefully selected fruit is hand-harvested in order to pick some as whole bunches, for additional complexity when vinified.
Lake Chalice was established in 1989 with a vision of producing internationally recognised wines from the heart of the Marlborough region. New Zealand’s native falcon, the ‘Kārearea’, is proudly displayed on every bottle of Lake Chalice wine. Kārearea favour the remote mountains and foothills of the upper Awatere and Wairau valleys and these valleys are home to Lake Chalice’s three unique vineyard sites. Each vineyard has a diverse microclimate, biodiversity and terroir which are seamlessly translated into multi award winning wines by talented winemaker Chloe Gabrielsen. Taking a boutique approach she handcrafts parcels of fruit from single vineyards into elegant, aromatic, fruit driven wines and has garnered a global reputation of outstanding quality. Certified ‘Sustainable Winegrower of New Zealand’.
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