Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Featured Winery

Le Chat Botté

Located south of montreal nested against the USA border you will find the town of Hemmingford, home of Le Chat Botté. The winery is owned by Normand Guénette and Isabelle Ricard. They are also the winemakers.

it was finally in 2003 that Isabelle and Normand decided to start their vineyard project by preparing the first plot. In 2004, they began planting 3500 vines from Frontenac, Osceola Muscat, Swenson White, Radisson, Adalmiina and Sabrevois.

Planting continued the following year with the addition of 2500 vines of Sabrevois, Frontenac, Frontenac Gris and Osceola Muscat.
The planting of the first plot is completed over the next 3 years with the addition of 1500 vines of Louise Swenson, Prairie Star and Marquette.

A new plot was prepared in 2009 and planted in 2010: a total of 5000 vines were added. This time, Frontenac Blanc, Adalmiina, Swenson White, Radisson and Marquette are targeted. The vineyard now has more than 12000,4 vines on 2009 hectares.

The soil is alkaline, which is pretty rare in Québec. It’s similar to the terroir in Bourgogne and makes excellent whites. Hemmingford is one of the warmest regions in Québec, so our grapes reach a fine maturity.

Normand Guenette and Isabelle Ricard

Normand Guénette is a landscape architect by training. He spent most of his career working for major firms in Montreal, including DAA, Fahey + Associés and CIMA+. He specializes in the planning of commercial sites such as the Ikea in Boucherville.

A nature lover, wine enthusiast and faithful excursionist of the Quebec wine route, he had long cherished the dream of developing his own vineyard on Quebec soil.After 8 years of travel, training in viticulture and winemaking, he left his job in November 2011 to devote himself entirely to the vineyard.

Isabelle Ricard is an industrial designer by training. Isabelle is also a graphic designer and it is she who designed the new range of labels released in 2022 and those that followed.

Music is one of his great passions. She is a mezzo-soprano and studied classical singing at university. She has been heard as a soloist in several major works over the years and she also sings with the OSM Choir and begins the adventure with the Opéra de Montréal.

Isabelle also has a passion for felines, hencethe origin of the name of the vineyard. She has been breeding Abyssinian and Ocicat cats for nearly 30 years and enjoys international recognition for the quality of her breeding called SHINKARA. Interestingly, Puss in Boots' logo is that of Merrell, the Abyssinian cat of Marika Vallée, a graphic designer who designed the first labels.

On August 16, 2012, they participated in their first international competition. Two of their wines stood out at the International Cold Climate Wine Competition: rosé with bronze and grey straw wine with gold. At the 2012 Magog-Orford Harvest Festival, these two wines were all the rage with visitors and restaurateurs. Straw wine was also crowned discovery of the 2012 edition by the Journal de Magog.

Their awards include a gold from Sélections Mondiales des Vins competition

Le Chat Botté. or Puss in Boots Just like the tale of Puss in Boots, Isabelle and Normand have used creativity and ingenuity to make their dream come true.
The moral of the tale represents their journey well: "Industry and know-how are better than acquired goods".
... And the fact that Isabelle has been a breeder of purebred cats for nearly 30 years, is also important!

Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice.

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