In Stone Hill Winery’s tasting room, Dave Johnson, senior winemaker at Stone Hill since 1978, summarized my quest for a drinkable Norton in no uncertain terms. “The Nortons you’ve had – and I read your little blog – that you didn’t like, is that because you don’t like Norton or is that because you didn’t have any good quality Nortons? I guess we’ll find that out when we taste some other Nortons.” A good point made with the aplomb of a wine expert. Dave, fellow Stone Hill winemaker, Shaun Turnbull, and Thomas Held, family owner and head of sales and marketing, were all eager to try the fruits of their labor with me. I could have felt a little pressured in this situation, after all, what if I really did hate their beloved Norton grape?
Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri
Fortunately Stone Hill Winery was the last stop on my wine quest. By the time I climbed the vine-covered hill towards this winery in Hermann, I was well on the way to answering Dave’s questions. At my first stop, Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, winemakers Cory Bomgaars and Jacob Holman invited me to a taste test they were performing on samples of wine taken from their tanks, including Norton from the 2011 harvest. These samples were high in acid but even at this early stage of their development they were probably as good as the half-dozen Nortons I’d tasted before this trip. With a specially made Norton glass (see picture) designed to eject the wine directly onto the tongue, I also tried Les Bourgeois’ 2009 Norton and after a few sips it was clear the sour, tart flavor in Nortons I’d tried before this quest, were under control. The acid was there but not too dominant and there were some nice, peppery, pomegranate flavors coming through. So far so good.
St James Winery, a couple of hours south, was the next stop. I was more than an hour later than planned because I’d had so much fun trying wines with Cory and Jacob.
Jacob Holman, winemaker, Les Bourgeois Vineyards. The vineyard's restaurant is in the background
Les Bourgeois 2009 Norton
Ann Miller, marketing manager at St James Winery, greeted me with friendly understanding and took me around her winery. After an engaging chat with CEO Peter Hofherr I was in a tasting situation again. The ladies in the tasting room, with Ann’s help, treated me to a St James 2007 Norton and also their 2008 Reserve Norton. (Another wine investigator who took a sceptical and amusing position on Missouri wines in this blog, raves here about the 2007 St James Norton .) I could appreciate the 2007, but I enjoyed the more oaky 2008 Reserve.
St James 2007 Norton and the 2008 Reserve Ozark Highlands Norton
Ann Miller, Marketing Manager, pours a Norton in the tasting room
Ann and Peter kindly gave me a bottle of the 2008 Reserve and a day or two later I happily drank a couple of glasses with dinner and watched my wife and mother in law drink it with gusto. As I left St James I felt like I was getting the hang of the Norton style now and at least starting to appreciate it’s distinct qualities when it’s handled by a good winemaker. The overbearing and unpleasant sour and tart flavors I’d tasted and smelt in Nortons before this trip were being replaced by smell and taste characteristics including floral, sherbet, blackcurrant, gooseberry and pomegranate.
So back to Stone Hill Winery. We started with a couple of Norton samples from their tanks where the 2011 harvest is gestating. Like Les Bourgeois tank samples they were acidic but interesting to taste and an improvement on Nortons I’d tasted before this trip. Then we moved on to their 2009 Norton which is aged in American oak and compared it to the Cross J Vineyard 2009 Norton. The Cross J is sourced from Thomas’ parents’ private vineyard and then aged in European oak. At this point I was a little distracted as I admired the professional swirling, sniffing, tasting and spitting of my three companions and a little embarrassed when I tried to imitate them and my wine spit rebounded a little off the container and landed ominously close to Dave. They politely turned a blind eye as Shaun poetically described the Cross J in relation to the regular 2009 Norton: “It’s more of a spicy taste, more clove and spice with cinnamon on the nose, a leathery forest floor, in there is a truffle note, it’s a bit more elegant, European in style”. All I could offer was: “I’m enjoying them both and not getting those tart flavors.” My tongue to brain communication skills are not as advanced as Shaun’s but I did feel my Norton education was taking some steps forward helped by his verbal gymnastics in a South African accent. The European style that Shaun is referring to distinguishes Norton wines from the big, fruity flavor of many Californian and New World reds. When handled well, the Norton is a more subtle, softer wine that relies on its acidity and the tannins it can get from oak barrels – rather than a Cab or Syrah with their natural tannins – to give it structure. Dave compares the old world style of Norton to Italy’s Barbera grape.
Stone Hill's winemakers from left right: Dave Johnson opens, Thomas Held reads and Shaun Turnbull prepares to taste.
So it was on to the 2005 Stone Hill Norton. With the 2005 I moved on from appreciating the Norton to thoroughly enjoying it. Shaun came up with more poetry: “It’s more beefy and spicy. Fruits…” He continued thoughtfully after poking his nose back in the glass, “You probably get a bit more rose pot-pourri, but not that live, flowery or floral characteristic. Pine as well on the nose, kind of pine needles.” I asked if this 2005 was like a toned down version of the 2009 Crosss J? “Yes,” said Sean. “It’s not so much fresh fruit, you’re getting more of a tertiary age character now, it’s almost more drier prune than plummy. “ Dave pitched in, “It’s starting to develop what I call bottle bouquet and that’s what good red wine does when you age it. The fruit, the clear Norton varietal character, starts to become subdued and now you start to get some other things that weren’t in there to begin with. It’s chemistry.” And so it was. This was a classy wine with its fruit in the background, gentle on the tongue with velvety textures and delicate, woodie aromas. I was really hoping I’d get the rest of this bottle to take home. (I didn’t, but Thomas kindly gave me a bottle of their 2008 Norton Port and I drank some of that last night – it was very nice). The Norton quest was over and the verdict unanimous: the Norton grape can and does make lovely, distinctive wine.
Stone Hill's 2005 Norton, the 2009 and the Cross J 2009 Norton
It’s about time someone started talking about Norton
I haven’t had the wines you mention but it sounds like I should! Have you tried the Crimson Cabernet? http://enobytes.com/2009/02/16/crimson-cabernet/
Thanks for your comment Pamela – no I haven’t heard of that crimson-cabernet. Very interesting read!
I used to live in Missouri and frequented that region for its wines. I always found the Norton a nice departure from all of the overly sweet whites. But I agree the taste can be offensive if not done right. The best one I remember was from Bommarito.
Thanks Sandi…I’ll check out that Bommarito Norton. Amazing the number of wineries around here.
Such a treat to have Danny stop by! Jacob and Cory were happy to take on the challenge. We do love our Norton here in Missouri, it being the state grape and all, but we have a plethora of other wines that are more than noteworthy!
Interesting and informative post, Danny. It made me wish I was there in Missouri again, sharing some great Nortons with my fellow friends and compatriots! Certainly, you visited some top-tier wineries in your quest, and it’s no wonder, in my view, that you came away with the unanimous verdict that “the Norton grape can and does make lovely, distinctive wine.” It certainly does.
Thanks for giving me a “heads up” about your interest in Norton, The Real American Grape!® It would be my pleasure to host a Norton tasting here at Chrysalis Vineyards, should you find yourself in the Northern Virginia / Washington, DC area in the future.
Good job!
Jenni
Thanks for your encouragement Jenni…I’d love to visit and do my best to drop in some time. All the best from Missouri!
Thank you for your interesting Norton notes. With 257 Norton wineries in 24 states today, some very interesting examples are now being produced. I’ve personally tasted Norton wines from seventeen states, finding nice examples in eleven of these locations. Though Virginia currently has 36 Norton wineries and Missouri has 86 of the same, strangely we have only three or four ‘favorites’ in each of these states. As you observed, many Norton wines age nicely and of the 113 Norton wines I have tried, I would note that there were only three found that could be classified as young “drink-now” examples (Castle Gruen -VA, Stone House – TX, Westphalia – MO). I am just as enamored by some 100% Norton grape wines as with unique Norton blends to be found.
Thanks TNWT! Your Norton expertise and comments are gratefully received here. Interesting your note about Norton blends. I haven’t actually come across any yet (even though Norton seems to be a perfect candidate for this) but I”m looking forward to it. Are there any in Missouri you’d recommend? All the best
Virginia has many Norton blends incorporating small percentages of either Mourvedre, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Chambourcin, etc. Chrysalis Vineyards dramatically changes their blends annually for their wonderful $35 Locksley Reserve Nortons which demands aging at least 5 or more years. I’m sure there are several Missouri Norton blends, but the ones that come positively to mind are a nice Norton blend using Chambourcin grapes from Peaceful Bend in Steelville, MO (The owners are as delightful as their wines) and then try Westphalia Vineyard’s Prodigal Son which is a delightful Norton / Cabernet Franc blend. As for Missouri personal favorites, please be aware that very few people agree with my tastes and others have sometimes found my choices a bit raucous. But if you truly wish for me to make a listing of which wineries I would travel to from South Carolina to visit, they would be – Adam Puchta Winery and Stone Hill for their Cross J Norton in Hermann, MO; – I find Blumenhof’s Norton wines in Marthasville, MO consistently fun; – though I do not know where they get their grapes from, Chandler Hill’s 2005 ‘Savage’ Norton in Defiance, MO is really rounding out nicely now; – Heinrichshaus Vineyard’s “Cynthiana” in St. James, MO is the best of the Folk Art Wines in Missouri; – though Augusta Winery usually gets all the attention, I personally prefer the Norton wines from its sister winery, Montelle Vineyards; – you just cannot go wrong year-in-and-year-out at New Haven, MO’s Robller Vineryards; and lastly I’ll mention Westphalia Vineyards sulfite free Norton Reserve (I’ve been told their grand 2006 Norton can still be found in remote little hamlet stores). So, I’ve listed nine Norton wines which I have particularly enjoyed out of thirty seven Missouri wineries I have visited/tasted. Will you and your readers now let me know which of the seventy seven remaining Missouri Norton wineries they would visit?
Thanks TNWT for taking the time to write another comprehensive email. I’m not sure I have the Norton Knowledge yet to list the Missouri wineries I’d visit. I really need to taste some more (when my budget is a little healthier – that is one issue with Nortons for people (like me) more accustomed to buying $5 to $8 bottles – the good ones I’ve had so far were all more than $15 a bottle, usually closer to $20). Hopefully some readers might respond to you (or is it just you and me here now?)
One more question please! I understand that Missouri wine laws allow bottles of Norton to be called Norton as long as they have 75% Norton grape in them. The wineries I visited all say their Norton is 100% Norton, but what’s your sense of how often Nortons are blends anyway given this law?
I’ll have a Missouri Norton wine friend look into laws concerning what constitutes Norton blend percentage requirements. As for concern for many is the cost of Norton wines. Realize that grape production can be less than one third per acre with Norton grapes as compared to other grape yields because of its small size and extremely seedy fruit. There are other factors involved also, but generally expect to pay $18-$25 per bottle. Most less expensive Norton wines reflect anticipated quality, but here we also have some fine exceptions; as, Horton ($12-$15 VA), St. James ($8-15 MO – costs may have increased lately), Elk Creek Vineyards ($13 KY), Century Farms ($12 TN), White Oaks ($13 AL), and the clear winner in your area is Illinois Cellars Norton wines ($7 IL), There have been some very respectful Illinois Cellars Nortons over the years.
The 75% “rule” is a federal law, and it applies to any wine that will be labeled by “varietal designation” (with the exception of V. labrusca varieties, which requirement is 51%). Also, if the wine is varietally labeled, that variety must appear on the list of “Prime names for American Wines”. The alternative is to use a fanciful name like, say, Sarah’s Patio Red in our case (which although it’s 100% Norton, could contain any percentage blend of varieties we want.)
For those interested in this stuff, here’s a link to a handy PDF file: http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/brochures/p51901.pdf
And for those who want to delve into the laws on wine labeling, here’s the link to the Tax & Trade Bureau’s (TTB) site on wine labeling:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=506cf0c03546efff958847134c5527d3&rgn=div5&view=text&node=27:1.0.1.1.2&idno=27
(BTW, make sure you copy all the above link.)
Jenni
According to the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, in order for a wine in Missouri to be labeled Norton, it must contain 75% or more Norton. There have been so many interesting blends in recent years, and even if the Norton is the prominent grape used, if it’s not constituting 75%, it’s a blend. The most common blend in Missouri is Chambourcin-Norton, with some vintners also blending a California Cab with a Missouri Norton with great results.