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Norman Hardie Chardonnay Unfiltered 2016 (Niagara)

Canada, Ontario
Best-seller
93 JR 93 Points (Jancis Robinson)
94 JR 94 Points (Jancis Robinson)
91 JR 91 Points (Jancis Robinson)
Norman Hardie Chardonnay Unfiltered 2016 (Niagara)

Fresh nose of tart citrus gives way to vanilla meringue. Beautifully briny and savoury speaking to the mineral driven soils of the area and balancing the ripe fruit of this warm vintage perfectly. Enticing palate simultaneously creamy and lean. Long finish and palate cleansing acidity.

Country Canada
Province Ontario
Region Niagara Peninsula
Producer Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard
Vintage 2016
Color White Wine
Varietal(s) Chardonnay
¥5,940  (incl. tax)

Fresh nose of tart citrus gives way to vanilla meringue. Beautifully briny and savoury speaking to the mineral driven soils of the area and balancing the ripe fruit of this warm vintage perfectly. Enticing palate simultaneously creamy and lean. Long finish and palate cleansing acidity.

Country Canada
Province Ontario
Region Niagara Peninsula
Producer Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard
Vintage 2016
Color White Wine
Varietal(s) Chardonnay
Data
Closure Screw Cap
Volume 750ml
Alcohol 12.6%
Product Code A002W00116
UPC 837654599525
Inventory In Stock (28)
Owning & Enjoying

Tasting notes

Fresh nose of tart citrus gives way to vanilla meringue. Beautifully briny and savoury speaking to the mineral driven soils of the area and balancing the ripe fruit of this warm vintage perfectly. Enticing palate simultaneously creamy and lean. Long finish and palate cleansing acidity.

Pairing

A great wine for a beautiful piece of Salmon, grilled/fried chicken or any mild/lemony seafood dish.

Cellaring

Drink or hold past 2025!

Press
93Jancis Robinson
From various sites on the Beamsville Bench. Whole-bunch pressed, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel then transferred to 500-litre French oak barrels to complete fermentation. 30% new oak, the rest second, third and fourth use. Natural malo in barrel. No sulphur dioxide added before bottling and minimal dose at bottling. RS >4 g/l. Baked bananas and grilled clotted cream on the nose, although there is a drift of smoke and as you tilt the glass into your mouth, there is a very distinct, unusual orange-blossom and lily-of-the-valley perfume. The palate is a rush of glorious gunint-struck clementine and Seville orange and smoked cumin tucked into sliced yuzu and lemon-graphite-ice shards. Complex, unfettered but not chaotic, layered but not linear (not at all, this wine glimmers like moth wings in helical spirals). This is exciting! GV (TC) 12.6% Drink 2020 – 2027
94Jancis Robinson
17.5, Tamlyn Currin.  “Baked bananas and grilled clotted cream on the nose, although there is a drift of smoke and as you tilt the glass into your mouth, there is a very distinct, unusual orange-blossom and lily-of-the-valley perfume. The palate is a rush of glorious gunflint-struck clementine and Seville orange and smoke cumin tucked into sliced yuzu and lemon-graphite-ice shards. Complex, unfettered but not chaotic, layered but not linear (not at all, this wine glimmers like moth wings in helical spirals). This is exciting!”   
91Jancis Robinson
16.5/20 (a cut above superior) - Richard Hemming MW, Jancis Robinson Creamy, mealy, savoury style with a dried-grass sort of flavour as well as baked apple and cinamon spice. Lots of chew and texture to the palate.
Production

Appellation

VQA Niagara Peninsula

Vinification

The grapes are sourced from a variety of sites on the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. Gentle, whole-cluster pressing of the fruit into horizontal stainless steel tanks where fermentation starts with ambient yeasts. Fermenting juice is then transferred to 500L French oak barrels to complete ferment. About 30% new oak, the rest 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill. Wine undergoes MLF naturally in the spring; wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with a minimum sulphur dose before bottling.

Producer

Producer Description

Norm earned his sommelier certification at the University of Dijon in the late 1980s. After putting this certification to use for Four Seasons Hotel he spent 6 years (12 harvests) apprenticing with some of the best producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in both hemispheres. In 2003 he made the leap and put down roots in Prince Edward County. During the growing season and harvest Norm works tirelessly to ensure that no small detail is missed. On the weekends outside of harvest his gregarious personality moves throughout the winery fluidly directing his staff and making all who enter the winery feel welcome.

OUR TEAM

The full potential of the soils can only be realized with a team of tireless, dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who embrace my vision. Each member of my team brings with them a rich knowledge base and a thirst to learn more and create something special. We all take pride in a desire for greatness.

OUR TERROIR

The sites we’ve chosen have enormous potential. It’s up to us to look after and care for our land and vines to see that these sights realize their potential. We spend an inordinate amount of money and time on our vineyards to ensure perfect fruit. Our vineyard crew are fastidious, understand and embrace the concept that great wine can only be made in the vineyard. Once the fruit is ripe, we hand pick and hand sort every cluster. This is to ensure only perfect fruit make it into the fermentations.

OUR APPROACH

In the cellar, we take a hands-off approach to gently guide our wines through fermentation and ageing. We are not tempted to use an arsenal of quick-fixes for easy non-distinctive ferments available through numerous laboratories. Instead, our approach is to use very few modern techniques in the cellar. This "old world" approach entails using absolute minimal amounts of sulphur, natural yeast from the vineyard, extended fermentation on the skins for the reds, lots of lees contact for the whites, and natural malolactic fermentation in the spring. It takes tremendous experience and guts to take this natural approach; we do it because of our dedication and desire to create wines that taste of a sense of place or Vins de Terroir.

ACCOLADES

Right from our inaugural vintage in 2004, our goal has been to produce wine of the highest quality, that taste of a place, and every year to raise the bar on quality. We’ve quickly developed a strong clientele of local and international clients who appreciate our Old World handcrafted style. Almost immediately upon opening, the winery received phenomenal accolades from top wine critics. Matt Kramer (Wine Spectator), chose the 2008 County Chardonnay as one of his wines of the year.

Outstanding reviews have come from international wine critics, such as Stephen Spurrier (Decanter), Jamie Goode (wineanorak.com), Tim Atkin MS, and Jancis Robinson (jancisrobinson.com and the Oxford Companion to Wine), including some top local critics such as Tony Aspler, John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, David Lawrason, and many others.

‘The Chardonnays emerging from Hardie’s small vineyard in Prince Edward County (he also buys grapes from the Niagara Peninsula area two hours away) are laser-etched with acidity, minerality and the sort of originality that we all once thought only Burgundy could deliver.”

  • Ian d’Agata (Stephen Tanzier’s International Wine Cellar) – Ontario Wine Country: The New Frontier for Riesling and Pinot Noir

Norman Hardie is a true chardonnay and pinot noir expert… his chardonnays and pinots are some of the most Burgundian you will find outside Burgundy

  • The World of Fine Wine 2014 -Top ten North American Pinot Noir
  • Jancis Robinson – From Bottom to Top – Canada’s Wines
  • Jancis Robinson –  Some lovely reviews and excerpts from Canada Shows Off in London
  • Stuart Pigott’s Rockstars of Wine America
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