Norm Hardie Cuvee “L” Chardonnay 2008 Unfiltered

$49/bottle   $588/case

Natalie McLain.  Score: 95/100.  When I received this sample for tasting, I opened it with sadness, secretly wanting to stash it away in my own cellar for 5 years. This spectacular wine is made by the Wine Genius of Prince Edward County, Norm Hardie. Why buy Meursault when you can get that elegance, finesse and gorgeous flavour for a fraction of the price. Yes, this is a bargain bottle at $49. This wine is made from 65% Niagara fruit and 35% Prince Edward County fruit. 

Food matches: lobster, shellfish, sable fish, pasta dishes with cream based sauces.

Norm Hardie Pinot Gris 200

 

$25/ bottle $300/case 

This beautiful County jewel shows lots of minerality and is bound to be released in November.

Norm Hardie Pinot Noir 2008 Unfiltered

 LCBO # 208702   $39/bottle  $468/case 

Jamie Drummond (Director/Sommelier of Good Food Media).  To choose between the Norm Hardie County and Niagara Pinots has always been a difficult decision for me. On one hand I enjoy the leaner style of the County, but occasionally I am seduced by the richness and fruit component of the Niagara. In the case of this particular vintage I have to say that I feel Norm’s Niagara bottling to be one of best wines he has put his name to. The fruit profile is undoubtedly darker, with the clay/limestone soils adding their unmistakable influence upon the juice. On the nose the dense, darker fruit aromatics are lifted by a little something that simply has to be the delicious Niagara dirt peeking through. Quite how Norm pulls off this kind of fruit/acid balance in a vintage such as 2008 is truly a mystery to me, but then I don’t have anything near the experience with Pinot that Mr. Hardie does. The palate is both satisfying and thorough, with magnificent structure and finish. One of my favorite wines of the year thus far.

  

Chris Waters (Chief Editor of Vines Magazine).  This remarkably well-made Niagara Pinot reveals concentration, richness and serious structure — certainly there’s more body and fruit evident here compared to Hardie’s County Pinot Noir as well as Hardie’s 2006 Niagara Pinot, a product of a similar growing season. Look for appealing red fruit notes and interesting savoury notes that add welcome complexity to nose and palate. Highly recommended. 

Natalie McLain (Sommelier and Wine Writer) Score: 91/100.  Grapes are grown for this lovely Pinot in the St. David's Bench and Park Vineyards. This is a more concentrated, deeper and robust Pinot than the County, but I love this one too! Black cherries and a Bach-like dark chord running through the middle. Velvet texture and a long finish. Food matches: game birds, richer red meats.

Norm Hardie Chardonnay 2008 Unfiltered

 LCBO #184432   $35/bottle    $420/case

Jancis Robinson 17.5 Drink 2011-2015 (One of the most internationally respected British wine critics and journalists, writes a weekly column for the Financial Times and for her own website. She also provides advice for Queen Elizabeth II's wine cellar.)   Quite deep. Quite rich on the nose with real vibrancy on red clay. Struggles to ripen and yields are naturally low. Just 11.9% and Norman, who has made wine ‘all over the world’, told me his grapes tend to get phenolic ripeness early. Quite chewy on the finish. Dry and austere on the end with real character. Really very Burgundian. Real density and this tastes as though it should really develop complexity.

Natalie McLain (Sommelier and Wine Writer) Score: 92/100.  Made from 100% bench fruit, this luxurious Chardonnay ripples with flavours of green apple, vanilla smoke and hazelnut. Robust and beautiful: love it!  Food matches: lobster, oily fishes, richly flavoured risotto, lighter red meats.

Jamie Drummond (Director/Sommelier of Good Food Media).  Despite being a different beast altogether from the County bottling, this particularly delicious beast reeks of Norm Hardie’s winemaking style, and this is no bad thing. Showing a remarkable amount of opulence for a cool climate chardonnay, this wine rewards with surprisingly ripe green/yellow fruit character that belies the relatively cool vintage that was 2008. In the mouth the wine is pure Norm Hardie with texture, structure and minerality all coming together front, mid and back palate. No slouch when it comes to acidity I can see this wine getting better and better with time. A superbly balanced wine that I look forward to re-tasting as soon as possible… for purely selfish reasons.

Norm Hardie County Chardonnay 2008 Unfiltered

 

LCBO# 149054    $35/bottle   $420/case

Chris Waters (Chief Editor of Vines Magazine).   An unmistakable gun smoke, flinty note greets you on the nose of this mineral-rich model of Chardonnay before giving way to refreshing citrus and stone fruit aromas. The palate also leads with complex earthy, mineral notes that gain lift from the wine’s remarkable lemon/lime character. The result is an engaging Chardonnay with an appealing ying-yang personality of richness and intensity.

Natalie McLain (Sommelier and Wine Writer).  Looking at my notes, I realized that "Yes, oh, yes!" is not really a tasting note and might be interpreted as something else. However, it was sheer ecstasy to drink this Chardonnay with its rich layers of buttery, toasted almond goodness. Lovely oak integration and a long satisfying finish that leaves you plesantly yearning for more. Pair with: crustaceons, poultry, pasta dishes with cream based sauces. Drink: 2010-2014. 12% D 750 mL  $35.00 Score: 92/100.

Jamie Drummond (Director/Sommelier of Good Food Media).   Barring his next door neighbor Dan Sullivan at Rosehall Run, I have always felt that Norm has a touch with Prince Edward County Pinot Noir that is second-to-none. It’s the vineyards of course, and the way in which these two talented Winemakers take care of said vineyards. This edition shows a wonderful delicacy of red fruit aromatics: raspberries, wild strawberries. There is also an ethereal perfume that I just couldn’t put my olfactory finger upon. The limestone seems to sing from the soil to the roots, the roots to the vine, the vine to the grape, the grape to the wine, the wine to your entire experience. It’s a very classic linear wine, and with its relatively low alcohol not a wine that will necessarily please the bullied palates of those weaned on Sideways-leaning Golden State Pinots, but for me it is pretty damn close to perfection. There is a lot of wine in this glass if you know where to look.

N

Norm Hardie - County Pinot Noir Unfiltered - 2008

 
LCBO# 125310   $35/bottle    $420/case

Natalie McLain (Sommelier and Wine Writer) Score: 94/100 

This pinot jumps out of this glass with a gorgeous floral bouquet of wild violets and rose petals. There's also lusciously ripe, fleshy cherries and field strawberries. I love when I have to give up describing a wine and just say, please go try it while you can! Food matches: rich fishes, crustaceons, lighter red meats.

Chris Waters (Chief Editor of Vines Magazine) Score: 4.5/5
Terrific cranberry/cherry aromas mingle with fragrant woodsy/earthy notes on the nose of this subtle yet substantial Pinot Noir. The bright red fruit character replays on the palate, which is amazingly integrated and long at this early stage of development. The purity of the flavour profile and unwavering mineral focus make this a lighter style Pinot (11.5 percent alcohol) that’s going to wow fans of graceful wines that whisper as opposed to shout.

Jamie Drummond (Director/Sommelier of Good Food Media) Score: 4.5/5
Barring his next door neighbor Dan Sullivan at Rosehall Run, I have always felt that Norm has a touch with Prince Edward County Pinot Noir that is second-to-none. It’s the vineyards of course, and the way in which these two talented Winemakers take care of said vineyards. This edition shows a wonderful delicacy of red fruit aromatics: raspberries, wild strawberries. There is also an ethereal perfume that I just couldn’t put my olfactory finger upon. The limestone seems to sing from the soil to the roots, the roots to the vine, the vine to the grape, the grape to the wine, the wine to your entire experience. It’s a very classic linear wine, and with its relatively low alcohol not a wine that will necessarily please the bullied palates of those weaned on Sideways-leaning Golden State Pinots, but for me it is pretty damn close to perfection. There is a lot of wine in this glass if you know where to look.

Norman Hardie Winery

The winemaker
Norm Hardie is one of a select few winemakers who has mastered the art of tasting, growing and making wine in both hemispheres, in six wine regions around the world. In his early 20s he received his Sommelier certification from the esteemed wine program at the University of Dijon in Burgundy. After working as a sommelier for Four Seasons Hotels for six years, his desire to pursue the art of winemaking led him on a six-year journey apprenticing with winemakers in Burgundy, South Africa, Oregon, New Zealand and California.

In 2003 Hardie put roots down in Prince Edward County by planting 12,000 Pinot Noir vines, 3,000 Chardonnay vines and 2000 Pinot Gris vines. Today Hardie applies his global expertise to crafting wines that reflect the incredible terroir and cool climate of Ontario.

The winery
In just seven years, Norman Hardie Winery has established itself as one of Canada’s premier wineries. One of only four wineries in Canada to be featured in Jancis Robinson’s and Hugh Johnson’s Oxford Encyclopedia’s World Wine Atlas, the winery produces old-world style wines that are designed to be
approachable now, and to age gracefully. Norman Hardie wines can be sourced from the winery, select VINTAGES stores, in top Ontario and Quebec restaurants, and in fine restaurants and boutiques in the competitive Hong Kong wine market.

Visit our website at www.NormanHardie.com