Pinot Noir Archives | Norman Hardie WinesNorman Hardie Winery and Vineyard

Our first single-vineyard Pinot Noir release is finally here. Our first plantings of County Pinot Noir were in 2003. The vineyard is now beautifully established. The roots have long penetrated the one and a half/two feet of fractured limestone/clay and are now working their way through the limestone bedrock. The wine has a wonderful richness and density while at the same time maintaining the tightness that one associates with great Old-World Pinot Noir. For those who love Pinot Noir, one sip tells the whole story. This wine truly represents all the promise I thought the soils would have back when I planted the vineyard in 2003. The vineyard is eponymously named “Jane & Oliver Block” after two of the vineyard’s greatest supporters. Only 8 barrels of this wine were made.

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For those who love Burgundy you will not be disappointed. Wonderful bright fruit on the nose with a steely core mid-pallet and a wonderful long finish. Truly encapsulates our favourite quote in describing Pinot Noir: “great Pinot should be like a steel hand in a velvet glove.” Ultimately what’s in the bottle is a true expression of the beautiful calcareous limestone& clay soils tempered by a wonderfully cool-climate that we have due to our proximity to Lake Ontario.

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The palate is ripe and loaded with flavours of red cherry, strawberry and classic beetroot with a long, lingering finish. Fresh and lively now, this wine will taste it’s best with 5-6 years in the cellar towards 2026 and onward.

2017 is possibly one of the most elegant and refined Niagara Pinots we’ve made to date. The emphasis is on delicacy and finesse. The fruit was sourced from two beautiful clay/ limestone-based sites on & just below the Bench on the Niagara Peninsula. While the colour and alcohol level appear light, there is a lovely richness and amazing length, finishing with the most refined & pure tannins we’ve seen to date. Comes in at a beautiful 11.5% alcohol. I’ve always believed that great Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir can be almost identical twins. This Pinot fits this description particularly when it comes to the beautiful and refined tannins. Light, medium- bodied. A red wine that’s not too heavy to go with poultry, and perfect for red meat dishes. Enjoyable to drink now and will age another 4-6 years.

The yields for our 2017 were very low due to heavy rains during flowering. The low yields per root mass combined with idyllic end of summer weather resulted in grapes with beautifully ripe skins and rich phenolic ripeness. As always, we followed our longstanding practice of minimal intervention wine making. All our clones were co-fermented with natural/indigenous yeasts spending between 25 and 35 days on the skins. They were gently pressed in our basket press extracting all the potential of the vintage. The wines were aged for 18 months in 228litre French oak casks (one third new, one third second fill and the remaining third neutral older casks). The wines were then racked to tank incorporating only the best fine lees for an additional two months aging. The wine was racked a second time and bottled unfiltered and unfined. This wine has good concentration of fruit and great depth even with its relatively young age at a remarkably low 11.5% alcohol

The long, sunny, warm fall of 2017 is expressed by sweet, red berry aroma and enhanced by elegantly balanced extended oak influence. The palate is ripe and loaded with flavours of red cherry, strawberry and classic beetroot with a long, lingering finish. Fresh and lively now, this wine will taste it’s best with 5-6 years in the cellar towards 2025 and onward.

Reviews

John Szabo MS , WineAlign

92/100

A typically light and delicate, silky, beautifully transparent County pinot here from Hardie, from a vintage that is proving to be far better than first expected, after a challenging season. But tough vintages highlight the both the top vineyards and the most competent winemakers, evident in this detailed and finely crafted example. I love the light cranberry and red cherry fruit, pure and refined, the light cinnamon/old oak influence, and the sapid acids and fine length. Delicate and refined all around, enjoyable now, but ultra-stable - two weeks in an opened bottle have barely affected the wine, so cellaring into the mid-late twenties should be rick-free. Tasted August 2019.

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Harvested from four separate sites in the Niagara Peninsula, each site contributing layers of complexity to the wine. Cold maceration of 7 days, indigenous yeast fermentation with two punch downs daily. The wine was pressed in small batches in a traditional basket press. Aged in 228L French oak barrels for 9 months. Natural malolactic fermentation, bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimum sulphur.

2016 was an exceptionally dry year in the Niagara Peninsula, resulting in beautifully feminine wine. On the nose, this wine exudes cherry and a slight earthiness. On the palate, generous red fruit notes and crunchy acidity, with expressive tannins giving way to a long, lingering finish.

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Reviews

Richard Hemming MW , Jancis Robinson

16.5/20

Cherries, cranberries and a stick or two of rhubarb – very much the just-ripe spectrum of flavour, plus a smoky element as well as delicate violet perfume. Fine, delicate structure with an appetising snap to the acid.

Jamie Goode , WineAnorak

94

11.2% alcohol. So supple and delicious, with primary red cherry fruit and some spicy structure. Has amazing precision and lovely fruit purity, with a bit of grip under the fruit. There’s a lightness and elegance to this wine that’s delightful, and it should develop well. 94/100

John Szabo MS , WineAlign

91

Fresh, light, delicate and flavourful, Hardies' 2016 Niagara pinot is a marvel of fruit and lightness of being, delicate, ripe but assertive tannins, and great length. Hardie seems to be shepherding his Niagara pinots ever-more towards the light and ethereal end of the spectrum, as his County pinots have always been, a happy development in my view. Tasted October 2017.

The 2016 season was characterized by a hot and dry growing season. Harvested mid-September, the grapes were fermented with indigenous yeasts from each individual vineyard block. 21-25 days on the skin in total: 6-8 day cold soak with 2 pump overs a day, followed by 7 day fermentation with maximum of 2 punch downs a day, remaining days gentle turning of cap once a day. Gentle basket press before being put to French oak barriques for 10 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulphur dose before bottling.

This is classic County Pinot Noir with the emphasis on finesse and elegance which is derived from the very rocky limestone soils of the County. The wine is rather deceptive, as it starts with elegant bright fruit notes and grows into complex layered Pinot Noir.

Reviews

Richard Hemming MW , Jancis Robinson

16.5+/20

Fine-grained tannins, bright acidity, fuller and more concentrated than their Niagara Pinot Noir. Sweet spices on the finish. Still a closed book.

Jamie Goode , Wine Anorak

95/100

11.7% alcohol. Deliciously sappy and bright with some raspberry and red cherry fruit. Elegant and pure with some silkiness to the perfumed, floral red fruits. Real finesse here: a beautifully expressive, balanced wine that’s drinking well now, but which will develop beautifully over the medium term. Such precision. Norm says that this has a hardness and an inaccessibility in the mid-palate which is a bit like Chambolle, and is a very good thing. 95/100

Michael Godel , WineAlign

93/100

If a Norman Hardie pinot noir ever drifted with such a prominent perfume I can’t recall, but here from 2016 it is with fresh flowers, sweet rosewater and fragrant spice. The impossible magic of lithe rendering, low alcohol and intuitive balance are always a Hardie thing but these ideals can’t be stated often enough. It’s like they all come together in 2016 in an effortless way, in structure and invisible layering like never before. The finest subtleties wave and oscillate in hushed, variably collective tones. The whisper effect is new and somehow intrinsic, explained, without words and inexplicably obvious. This story will be read over 10 years. No surprise there. Drink 2019-2028. Tasted February 2018.

Harvested from four separate sites in the Niagara Peninsula, each site contributing layers of complexity to the wine. Cold maceration of 7 days, indigenous yeast fermentation with two punch downs daily. The wine was pressed in small batches in a traditional basket press. Aged in 228L French oak barrels for 9 months. Natural malolactic fermentation, bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimum sulfur.

2015 proved to be an excellent growing season in the Niagara Peninsula, with exceptionally high quality fruit. The resulting wine has generous red fruit notes on both the nose and palate, with more subtle complex aromas and flavours of earth, floral and dark berries. The palate shows both lightness and tension, giving way to a long, lingering finish.

Reviews

John Szabo MS , WineAlign

91

A pinot in the light, fragrant and delicate Hardie style, from Wismer, Butler's Grant and Cuesta vineyard, all from the Twenty Mile Bench appellation in Niagara. It's a touch volatile to be sure, fine grained, delicate and full of soft but tart red berry fruit, raspberry, strawberry, with accompanying leaves. The finish lingers impressively on minty, grassy notes. 11.9% alcohol. Tasted December 2016.

Due to a devastating late spring frost (May 23rd!), we lost most of our County crop in 2015 resulting in a minuscule production of our celebrated County Pinot Noir. Fermented with indigenous yeasts from each individual vineyard block. 21-25 days on the skin in total: 6-8 day cold soak with 2 pump overs a day, followed by 7 day fermentation with maximum of 2 punch downs a day, remaining days gentle turning of cap once a day. The wine was pressed in small batches in a traditional basket press before being put to French oak barriques for 10 months. Natural malolactic fermentation, bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulphur dose before bottling

A refined Pinot with classic red cherry notes and firm tannins, both hallmarks of the very rocky limestone soils of the County.

A classic example of cool climate Pinot Noir, this wine exudes bright red fruit, complex earth aromas and has a lightness and tension on the palate. The palate appears to start off lightly, but builds beguiling depth with complexity of flavour as the wine opens in glass and bottle. The hallmark of this wine is its long, pure finish.

Reviews

David Lawrason , WineAlign

90

Although not from PEC where Norm Hardie is located, this elegant, tart-edged Niagara pinot shows the styling and intensity making Norman's wines famous. It's sleek, sour, bright with very bright, lifted cran-cherry fruit, toast, smoke and some spice. Very fine tannin makes it ready to drink now. Sour and tart edged, with excellent length. Chill lightly.

Richard Hemming MW , Canada Comes Courting (Again)

17.5

Earth, farmyard, fresh cherry fruit with gorgeous red fruit intensity - yet all without high alcohol. More chew to the mouthfeel than their County bottling. If Pinot Noir is the heartbreak grape, this is the happy ending!

A blend of 60% Niagara Pinot Noir and 40% County Pinot Noir. Each component was fermented separately, in small batches using indigenous yeasts. Aged separately for 8 months in French Oak barriques. After initial aging period the Niagara and County Components were blended together then put back into neutral oak for an additional 8 months. 2014 began as a cooler vintage, but we received hot, dry weather through September which developed fruit with exceptional phenolic ripeness and complexity, while still retaining lively acids. This is a special bottling, only done in the finest vintages.

The hallmarks of the "L" series are complexity and balance. The palate begins with subtle red fruit flavours, but gives way to an array of flavours including earthy notes, hints of spice, darker fruit and a long, lingering finish. The palate has exceptional balance between The County's lively acidity and weight from the Niagara component.

Reviews

John Szabo MS , WineAlign

93

Only one of four cuvée "L" pinots made since 2007, this is in my view the best yet. From 70% Niagara and 30% County fruit, eight barrels were made, aged in 40% new wood for the first eight months, and then another year in all old wood before bottling. I love the improbable depth and fleshiness at just 11.2% alcohol, the tangy acids, the dense red berry fruit, the supple texture and ripe tannins. Acids are ripe but sharp and well-defined, and the length is excellent. There's a fine salty bitterness that extends through the finish. Superb.

The 2014 season was characterized by a cool growing season, but unusually long, warm and sunny fall; harvested at the beginning of October, the grapes achieved outstanding phenolic complexity, while retaining vibrant acidity at a wonderfully low alcohol. Fermented with indigenous yeasts from each individual vineyard block. 21-25 days on the skin in total: 6-8 day cold soak with 2 pump overs a day, followed by 7 day fermentation with maximum of 2 punch downs a day, remaining days gentle turning of cap once a day. Gentle basket press before being put to French oak barriques for 10 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulphur dose before bottling

This is classic County Pinot Noir with the emphasis on finesse and elegance, derived from the very rocky limestone soils of the County. The wine is rather deceptive, as it starts with elegant bright fruit notes and grows into complex layered Pinot Noir.

Reviews

John Szabo MS , WineAlign

92

Hardie rarely misses a beat, and the 2014 pinot emerges here with supreme grace, fine-grained, delicate, seemingly light but anchored on solid base of impossibly ripe fruit at just 10.9%. I love the length, the absence of any wood flavour, the terrific mineral saltiness. Lovely wine. Tasted April 2016.

Michael Godel , WineAlign

93

In Prince Edward County and for Pinot Noir there is no substitute and no comparison. Quixotically sweet Pinot Noir fruit, from the lowest of the low yields, scrupulously heeded and handled with care and yet also, somehow without a care to the world. As self-effacingly pretty and impossible as ever though in 2014 the tensity is lower, the anxiety bereft and not so crucially or dearly developed. There is almost no crisis from out of this first of the near-crisis vintages. This is an early to love Norm Pinot Noir, brought to life and with red citrus that only a Hardie low alcohol Pinot can bring. Humility only exceeded by impossibility.

Richard Hemming MW , Canada Comes Courting (Again)

17.5

Perfumed and floral - this smells how you wish most Volnay would. Cherry blossom, strawberry, light chalky texture. Sublime fruit clarity.

A classic example of cool climate Pinot Noir, this wine exudes bright red fruit, but at the same time has a lightness and tension on the palate. The palate appears to start off lightly, but builds beguiling depth with complexity of flavour as the wine opens in glass and bottle. The hallmark of this wine is its long, pure finish.

This vintage was picked early due to a very even and balanced growing season. The fastidious work of our vineyard crew all season long allowed our county fruit to achieve incredible phenolic ripeness with remarkably low sugars: the alcohol on label is very restrained 10.9%. Fermented with indigenous yeasts from each individual vineyard block. 21-25 days on the skin in total: 6-8 day cold soak with 2 pump overs a day, followed by 7 day fermentation with maximum of 2 punch downs a day, remaining days gentle turning of cap once a day. Gentle basket press before being put to French oak barrels for 10 months

This is classic County Pinot Noir with the emphasis on finesse and elegance which is derived from the very rocky limestone soils of the County. The wine is rather deceptive, as it starts with elegant bright fruit notes and grows into complex layered Pinot Noir.

This is a 70% blend of Niagara Pinot Noir and 30% County Pinot Noir. Each of the components were fermented separately. Aged separately until November 2013 and then blended and put back to old Fench oak barrels for an additional 6 months.This is the 3rd bottling of "Cuvee L" Pinot Noir since our first vintage in 2004. The richness in this wine comes from the grapes grown on the heavier clay soils of Niagara; this is balanced by the vibrant and delicate fruit from the lighter calcareous soils of Prince Edward County.

The delicate colour of this wine is deciving: the palate gives way to rich and complex notes of dark fruit, earth and mineral. The hallmark quality of the "Cuvee L", is not the initial weight, but the layers of flavour and the tremendous length on the palate.

2012 proved to be one of our most exciting harvests. Similar in concentration and body to 2010, while maintaining focused minerality and purity throughout the finish. Fresh and bright aromatics on the nose, followed by ripe cranberry on the palate. Medium body with firm structured tannin. Wonderful length. Platinum Medal - WineAlign 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada

Reviews

WineAlign , 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada

Platinum

Our 2012 County Pinot Noir was the highest-rated Pinot Noir at the 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada, winning Platinum.

Grown out of a cooler year the tension in this Pinot Noir is something that we strive to achieve. Nose and palate are laced with beautiful tones of ripe raspberry, dark fruit and herbal nuances of thyme and rosemary. The palate appears to start off lightly, but builds beguiling depth with complexity of flavour as the wine opens in glass and bottle. The hallmark of this wine is its long, pure finish. Gold Medal - WineAlign 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada

Reviews

WIneAlign , 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada

Gold

Our 2011 Niagara Peninsula Pinot Noir won Gold at the 2014 National Wine Awards of Canada, hosted by WineAlign.

John Szabo

91

This 2011 pinot is a model of finesse allied to deceptive power. It's all silky and refined on the entry, shored up by a core of firm tannins and sharp acids

Our County Pinot is always made from 100% local County fruit, from our own estate vines and a few select vineyards in the Hillier region. Pinot Noir from 2011 was picked in late September and early October at 21.5 brix. Despite a cool vintage the grapes were picked with incredible phenolic ripeness. The average yield was approximately 1kg per vine. The wine was fermented using indigenous yeasts on skins for 23 to 26 days. As the wines aged, no sulphur was added until August of 2012 due to long, slow malolactic fermentation. Approximately 33% new, 33% second and 33% third fill tight grain 3 year dried French oak barrels used for ageing. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

This 2011 vintage compares as a wonderful cross of 2009 and 2010. The nose and palate each present all the wonderful rich decadent fruit notes and velvety tannins of the 2010 vintage combined with the tension, nerve and acidity on the finish so characteristic of the 2009 vintage. Structured and firm finish, integrated balance. Suggested Drinkability Window: Now through 2016.

Reviews

Tony Aspler

90/100

Cherry red colour; high toned, red berry nose; lean and sinewy Burgundian style with flavours of raspberry and cherry backed by lively acidity. Volnay in style, elegant and sophisticated.

Susy Atkins , The Telegraph (UK)

A serious treat, and talking-point. An attractive, soft and juicy Canadian pinot, with hazelnuts, cassis and plump black cherries.

Jamie Goode , The Wine Anorak

95/100

Pale cherry red colour. So expressive, pure and supple with red cherry and herb fruit and complex, fine, spicy notes. Real precision and elegance with a subtle meatiness under the silky cherry fruit. So supple and pure, with haunting perfume and real finesse. 95/100

Sourced from the Wismer Vineyard on the Bench, our Niagara Pinot is harvested, transported to our County facility and processed within the same day to ensure the highest quality of fruit makes it into our wine. 2010 was a vintage with very ripe fruit and solid tannin structure. 27 days on the skins and 16 months in French oak barrels.

This is a big, rich, full bodied Pinot Noir. A great introduction to Pinot Noir for those who like bigger and richer varieties. The effect of the extended skin contact left the wine exceptionally linear and taught. There is bright fruit on the palate and nose to support the structure from the skin contact. Suggested Drinkability Window: Now through 2015.

Reviews

Jamie Goode , The Wine Anorak

94/100

Floral, fresh, sappy cherry fruit nose. The palate is sweet and fruity with lively cherries and berries, and a bit of spice. Nice grippy structure here. Sweetness and precision combined, with good structure and density. 94/100

Our earliest county harvest to date. Picked mid-September (2 weeks earlier than usual). Wonderful phenolic ripeness and given the richness of the fruit the ferments were worked vigoursly to maximize extraction.

Beautiful, rich with velvety texture. Wonderful balance between the fruit and the tannin. Suggested Drinkability Window: Now through 2016.

Reviews

David Lawrason , National Post

91/100

2010 was one of the best pinot vintages yet in PEC and this is a fine effort. It’s a pale ruby shaded pinot with a great nose - lovely woodsy, smoky nuances around the ripe raspberry-cranberry fruit. It’s medium weight, quite smooth and substantial with juicy berry fruit, minerality and chalky/dusty tannin (not at all green). The finish hits excellent length. Best over the next five years.

Jamie Goode , The Wine Anorak

93/100

Very interesting nose with floral, fruity raspberry and cherry fruit. Sweet and smooth on the palate with black cherries and plums. Very long, pure fruit here: so drinkable, but also has complexity.

Our "L" series wines are only made in the finest of years. Typically a blend decided for the specific year, the Cuvee "L" combines the lighter, more aromatic County wines with the more full bodied Niagara wines. The sum of the parts (two different terroirs) allow us to make a very complex wine. This is a blend of 60% Niagara fruit and 40% County fruit. The wine was initially aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. It was then blended and put back to oak for 6 months.

This wine is a quintessential benchmark Pinot Noir, starting out light and feminine and blossoming into a beautifully rich, full bodied Pinot Noir. Suggested Drinkability Window: Now through 2015.

Reviews

Ian D'Agata , Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91/100

Bright ruby-red. Knockout aromas of red cherry, raspberry jelly, smoke and mocha. Enters the mouth rich and pure, then turns chewy and sweet, with ripe red berry and cherry flavors lifted by harmonious acidity. Finishes with a creamy mouth feel and a lingering red cherry quality. Made from a blend of 60% Niagara and 40% Prince Edward County fruit; interestingly, about half of the Niagara fruit grows in the warmer terroir of the St. David's Bench sub-appellation. Outstanding pinot noir, and very typical of Ontario: graceful, fresh and very minerally, altogether different from those of New Zealand and Oregon. The average vine age is 12 years and the crop level is the equivalent of a little more than 1 kilogram of grapes per plant (Niagara plantings are not as dense as the County ones).

The texture is pure silk and elegance, with fresh, delicate and tart red fruit. This is vibrant and pure, with energetic acidity, very fine-grained tannins and a wonderfully refreshing 11.5% alcohol. Flavours run to the wild strawberry and cherry spectrum. Very compelling, inviting constant sips.