Our special Chardonnay made during only the most exceptional vintages.
This wine has a complex nose of citrus, hints of brioche, and a decidedly saline quality. The palate gives classic cool-climate Chardonnay flavours of lemon peel, stoniness, exhilarating acid and a long, lingering finish.
Due to a devastating late spring frost (May 23rd!), we lost most of our County crop in 2015 resulting in a minuscule yield of County grown Chardonnay. The resulting grapes acquired beautiful phenolic ripeness, perfectly in balance with fresh natural acidity and were bottled under our “Cuvée des Amis” label.
Chardonnay was grown on 5 separate sites, all within 2km of the winery. Clonal selection was 80% clone 76 and 20% clone 95. The idea of blending the sites is to build complexity and richness from slightly different terroirs. Gentle, whole-cluster pressing of the fruit into horizontal stainless steel tanks where fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts from each individual vineyard block. Fermenting juice was then transferred to four 500L French oak barrels to complete ferment. The new oak component being 25%, the rest being 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill. Larger format barrels are used as a medium for better oak integration. Wine spent 12 months in oak before being transferred to stainless steel, on lees for an additional 10 months. The wine went sulfur free for 18 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered with a minimum sulphur dose before bottling.
Reviews
Richard Hemming MW , Jancis Robinson
18/20
Aged 10 months in oak, then another 12 in a horizontal tank to maximise lees contact.
Super-reductive nose – pungent sulphurous aromas. Bacon, toast, fresh apple and a whole box of matches. This is stylised and modernist and almost absurdist even, such is the intensity of flavours – but for people who like that style, this is one of the ultimates.
Jamie Goode , Wine Anorak
96/100
Beautifully detailed nose with spicy, mineral citrus fruit. The palate has amazing precision with lovely purity. Lemons, grapefruits and a brilliantly vital mineral character. Tight but with a bit of generosity. Very fine and detailed with amazing acid structure. A lovely wine. 96/100
Made with 100% County Chardonnay wine truly expresses the great vibrancy and minerality of Prince Edward County limestone. The wine was fermented and aged in French oak as with our County Chardonnay 2014. This wine was bottled unfiltered, unfined and released exclusively in magnums.
Reviews
John Szabo MS , WineAlign
94
An outstanding vintage for the Cuvée des Amis, a pure chardonnay spun off from the 'regular' County chardonnay, given extra time in old 500l barrels and then in tank on the less. This is showing particularly austere and tight at the moment, a marvellously lean, chiselled and firm wine, crackling with energy and life. Wood is beautifully integrated, and while the 2014 county chardonnay (from 750ml) is showing a touch of honeyed development, this is amazingly pure and stony, fully based on tart citrus and grapefruit, and wet stones. Exceptional length and depth. Top notch. Bottled in magnum only. Tasted December 2016.
Michael Godel , WineAlign
95
As exceptional as chardonnay may have seemed from out of the 2013 Ontario vintage you haven't lived or loved until you get a taste of (only in magnum format) Norm Hardie's 2014 Cuvées des Amis. This chardonnay attacks and ascends, recalibrating the inner workings of the brain and how it develops conceptualization. It is a state of the art and all-knowing elixir to remind that '13 was a vintage with profitable yields and a generously stretched canvas on which to practice on, for when things begin to get real. The CdeA spent 18 months in barrel, the first 12 (in 35 per cent new), the next six in neutral and the last six in stainless steel on the fine lees. The spin class in the mouth manages agility, dextrous, furtive movement and completes many pirouettes. The dance is pure joy but the intensity is equally to disturbingly intrusive, suggesting more settling time is necessary. The flavour pearls are delicate and come straight from the oyster so they carry salinity, power and brine. Pure lemon essence is received by intravenous injection. Sumptuous is translated from Hardie-speak as a four-letter, Prince Edward County word. It doesn't get more real than right here, with the best fruit, the tripping of the light fantastic, previously unheard and unseen unconscionable concentration. Drink 2019-2025. Tasted twice, June and July 2017.
Made with 100% County Chardonnay this single (8 year old) 500 litre barrel truly expresses the great vibrancy and minerality of Prince Edward County limestone. The wine was fermented and aged in French oak as with our County Chardonnay 2012. this wine was bottled unfiltered, unfined and released exclusively in magnums.
Reviews
Alder Yarrow , The Brilliance of Canadian Chardonnay
9.5/10
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of wet stones and the pith of exotic citrus. In the mouth, gorgeous sweetlime and wet stone flavors have a fantastic mineral depth. Amazing depth and stony resonance. Fantastic acid. A single barrel of wine bottled only in magnum. 12.0% alcohol.
This is our first ever single-barrel wine. 100% County Chardonnay. Made with 100% County Chardonnay this single 500 litre barrel truly expresses the great vibrancy and minerality of Prince Edward County limestone. A Burgundian style Chardonnay bottled only in magnums and aptly named Cuvée des Amis – a wine to be enjoyed and shared with friends.
Reviews
Jamie Goode , The Wine Anorak
94/100
This spends 19 months in 500 litre oak. Concentrated and precise, showing a little oak, but it’s the fruit that dominates: fresh pear and peach, with some toastiness in the background. Very pure with lovely texture.
