Inspiring: Lake Chalice in the Marlborough region. Photo / Getty Images
Inspiring: Lake Chalice in the Marlborough region. Photo / Getty Images
Review by Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper has 45 wine books and several literary awards to his credit. In the 2004 New Year Honours, Michael was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Lake Chalice’s first Marlborough wines, grown at a gravelly Rapaura site in the Wairau Valley, flowed in 1992. Poring over maps in search of a brand name, founders Phil Binnie and Chris Gambitsis didn’t hesitate when they spied Lake Chalice – meaning goblet, or wine cup – 40km away inthe Richmond Range.
In 2016, Lake Chalice’s vineyards and brand were bought by Marlborough’s largest family-owned wine producer, Saint Clair. The current releases deliver excellent quality and value.
Lake Chalice The Falcon Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024
★★★★½
If you like a punchy, high-impact sauvignon blanc ‒ the style that “leaps out of the glass”, try this. Bargain-priced, it was grown at Dillons Point district in the lower Wairau Valley. Bright, light lemon/green, it is aromatic, vibrant and full-bodied, with penetrating tropical fruit and herbal flavours, a salty streak, appetising acidity and a dry, lengthy finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $19
Lake Chalice Plume Marlborough Chardonnay 2022
★★★★★
Full of personality, this single-vineyard wine was grown in the lower Waihopai Valley, barrel-fermented with indigenous yeasts, and oak-aged for nine months. Weighty and rich, it has ripe, peachy flavours showing excellent complexity, balanced acidity and a smooth, dry, very harmonious finish. Drink now or cellar. (13% alc/vol) $45
Lake Chalice The Falcon Marlborough Pinot Noir 2023
★★★½
This good-value red was grown in the Southern Valleys, mostly in the company-owned Eyrie Vineyard. Bright ruby, it is medium-bodied, fresh and supple, with good depth of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, with savoury notes adding complexity and a smooth finish. It’s already drinking well. (12.5% alc/vol) $20
Plume by Lake Chalice Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
★★★★★
Relaxing with bottle age, this enticingly perfumed wine was grown in the Eyrie Vineyard, oak aged, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Ruby hued, with some maturity showing, it is weighty and concentrated, with a strong surge of cherry, spice and nut flavours braced by ripe, supple tannins. Delicious now, it should unfold well for several more years. (13.5% alc/vol) $50
Wine of the week
Lake Chalice The Raptor Marlborough Chardonnay 2023
This highly attractive wine was grown in the central Wairau Valley and barrel-aged. Fragrant and fleshy, it offers generous stonefruit flavours, with buttery, toasty notes adding richness and complexity, and a slightly creamy, smooth texture. Currently drinking well, it should break into full stride mid-2026+. (13% alc/vol) $25
