Black Prince Winery

After a nice lunch in Bloomfield, we continued down the highway to the Black Prince Winery. Regretfully decorated with medieval symbols - suits of armour, crests, fake swords and the like - the tasting room provides an outlet for local artisans, some good, some less so.

Black Prince also allows a few other wineries - start-ups who can't manage their own tasting rooms yet - to sell their wines out of the tasting room. This is a noble and princely gesture and - sorry, I've been taken a bit overwhelmed by the place.

One such winery is Bella Vigne. Their founder works at Black Prince, though he's apparently heading out on his own soon. He's experimenting with some interesting if not necessarily great varieties. Black Prince also sells some Harwood Estates wines. Here's the tasting record:

Bella Vigne Geisenheim 2006
A nice, complex nose of melon, pineapple, and mineral, the only taste is a strong sour apple. So far, I'm not impressed with the Geisenheims I've tried.

Bella Vigne Leon Millot/Foch 2007
Another obscure grape, this time tempered by Marechal Foch. Candied red fruit and leather on the nose, but sour, sour grapes in the mouth. Now I know why it's obscure.

Harwood Estates Gewurztraminer 2007
Typical Gewurz aromas of lychee, citrus and honey. The taste is slightly bitter, with little acidity or sugar. The bitterness takes over the long finish.

Harwood Estates Pinot Gris VQA 2007
Minerality, grapefruity and a grassy quality on the nose, with much the same present in the flavours. Medium acid, it has a long citric finish. Not bad at all.

Black Prince Unoaked Chardonnay 2007
This has a nice set of aromas: melon, and ripe summer fruit. The melon, along with some residual sugar, continue in the tasting, along with a secondary flavour of citrus. Medium acid, it has a medium citric finish.

Black Prince Black Series Cabernet Franc VQA 2007
This award winner has plummy, leather and black pepper notes, with some sour cherry and leather in the mouth. But I found the long finish, focused on the sourness, a bit too much.

Black Prince Vidal Icewine VQA 2006
We realized too late that this vintage is pretty much sold out. I bought the second to last bottle. It has some nice sweet spice and peach aromas, followed by flavours of honey and sweet summer fruit. Their best product.

Norman Hardie Winery

Back down the road and we're at the Norman Hardie Winery. Owner and winemaker Norman Hardie worked a few vintages in Burgundy, in addition to his time in Niagara. His experience shows - wines that are complex yet subtle. He was away when we dropped by, but we spoke with Johannes Norman, the Manager of Operations, who told us that Norman tries to "leave his wines alone", meaning that he doesn't complicate the natural flavours through fining or other processes. That's good news for our vegan diners - no egg whites in Norman Hardie wines.

By the way, many for the wines are made from Niagara grapes, where Hardie manages a number of vineyards.

In addition to the five wines we tasted, ... drew a sample of the 2007 Pinot Noir from the barrel. It will be bottled in a few weeks, and this wine has it all going on. Looking forward to it!

Norman Hardie Winery Chardonnnay sans barriques 2006
This unoaked chard is spicy and vegetal while light on fruit flavours. The tart mouthfeel has lots of sweet spice, though, and a long tart finish.

Norman Hardie Winery Riesling 2007
Like every other 2007 Riesling I tried today, I found a good set of aromas (gasoline, green apples) but a less complex palette - grapefruit dominated. It's a little spritzy, too, which I liked. Highly acidic, it has a long sharp finish.

Norman Hardie Winery Chardonnay 2006
Oaked in French barrels, there's a lot of vanilla and sweet spice along with the tropical fruit. The vanilla persists in the mouth, along with secondary characteristics of melon and citrus.

Norman Hardie Winery Pinot Noir 2006
Like the upcoming 2007, the 2006 vintage has a complex sour cherry and vegetal aroma. The mouthfeel is highly tannic with a lot of acid and green pepper flavours. The tannins stay to the lengthy finish. Very nice, it could use a little more time in the bottle.