"When we tasted this 100% traditional method Chardonnay, Hurst was hand labelling bottles that were to be served during i4C. The official labels couldn’t be used because the strike meant that the LCBO tasting lab was also shut down and couldn’t make approvals until the strike was over. This is the first 100% blanc de blancs from the Butler’s Grant Vineyard and it was wild fermented in used oak barrels, spending 36 months on the lees. It’s a brut nature style, which means zero dosage (less than 1.6 g/l of RS) and topped up only with its own wine. Kulczyk notes that zero dosage allows him to make a wine that’s “more representative of where it’s coming from.” The nose shows fresh lemon, toasty/leesy notes, green apple, pear, lovely saline minerality with an elegant bead in the glass. It’s persistent on the palate with a touch of flint, salinity, apple, pear and lemon cream that’s bright and fresh through the lifted finish."
Rick Van sickle- wines in Niagara, 2024
