Tasting Note Norman Hardie Winery is located in Prince Edward County, but Hardie goes to one of Niagara’s best sites for this gamay. Wismer Foxcroft delivers impressive flavour intensity depth from the limestone-based soils mid-slope on the bench below the Niagara Escarpment. This is moderately pale ruby. The nose is very pretty with lifted red plum/raspberry, typical red rose and cinnamon. It is light to medium bodied, very juicy, crunchy and notably mineral on the finish, with very fine tannin. Delicious, with excellent length.
Backgrounder Norman Hardie Winery was founded in 2003 in Prince Edward County, Hardie himself being well known and highly praised at home and abroad for his precise, elegant, mineral-driven chardonnays and pinot noirs from his limestone laced soils. He exports to top restaurants in the U.K., Europe and Japan. Over 20 years later, with his vineyards now mature, the portfolio and techniques are evolving. The most interesting is expansion to single-vineyard wines, both from estate vineyards in Prince Edward County and from purchased grapes in top sites in Niagara, like Wismer-Foxcroft, source of this gamay. “I am not making Beaujolais, or cheap and cheerful gamay,” he said. “Ontario needs to make serious gamay, and I am betting it will increase in importance because of how well it will fit into climate change.” This gamay was fermented on natural yeast at low temperature, then aged almost two years in neutral oak, longer than most, in the service of achieving even greater elegance.
