Showing posts with label Chrysalis Vineyards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chrysalis Vineyards. Show all posts

Monday, December 30, 2019

Dry Petit Manseng Ascends in Virginia During 2019

"Petit Manseng is one of the key white grape varieties of South West France. Used predominantly in Jurancon and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, it is most commonly vinified as a richly sweet wine with stonefruit characters such as peach and apricot, citrus and sweet spice." -- Wine-searcher.com
Twenty years ago, two Virginia wineries planted plots of Petit Manseng using cuttings from Virginia Tech’s Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center experimental vineyard near Winchester.  The extension agents recognized that the grape's thick skins and loose clusters would be advantageous during Virginia's humid summers.  Soon afterward Jennifer McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards petitioned the precursor to the Alcohol and Trade Tax Bureau (TTB) to approve Petit Manseng as a valid grape variety so that the grape's name could be used on a wine label. However, before approval was granted,  Horton Vineyards was able to label their first Petit Manseng vintage as that grape name because it had submitted the wine label as a place name and not as a grape name. Pretty sneaky. Over the succeeding years, Petit Manseng made small strides in the Virginia wine industry, but primarily as a dessert or off-dry offering as its inherent acidity balances residual sugar -- reminiscent of Riesling.

However, today it is dry Petit Manseng that has elevated the grape to public consciousness within the Commonwealth as two were included in the 2019 Governor's Case Club. During the 2019 Denver BevFluence Experience, we received samples of these wines which consisted of the Governor's Cup winning Horton Vineyards Petit Manseng 2016 ($25) and the gold-winning Michael Shaps Petit Manseng 2016 ($30). What makes these wines exceptional is that they maintain the grape's inherent bright tropical characters and provide a newly discovered depth and weight. he Horton version includes five percent each Viognier and Rkatsiteli which help explain some stone fruit character and both were fermented primarily in oak introducing Burgundian techniques.

These two wineries are linked with other interesting facts. In 1991, when Horton's first crop was harvested, they leased Montdomaine Cellars as a production facility for the next 5 years and used the Montdomaine trademark during that period. In 1995, Michael Shaps moved to Virginia to work at Jefferson Vineyards as head winemaker and general manager and in 2007 he and a partner purchased that same Montdomaine facility to open Virginia WineWorks. And recently longtime Horton winemaker Mike Heny, who started production of the 2016 Horton Petit Manseng, left in late 2017 for a similar position at Virginia WineWorks. Heny was then replaced by Andy Reagan who conducted the final blending trials for the Petit Manseng and it was Reagan who had previously succeeded Shaps at Jefferson Vineyards. Plenty of winemaking talent making the rounds in Virginia. Cheers to 2019.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The United Grapes of America - Missouri - Stone Hill Winery Norton Port

Missouri=Norton. That's basically what you need to know about the ® (thanks Chrysalis Vineyards) to a new level of quality and consumer acceptance.   In order to learn more about the native Virginia grape, we recommend Todd Kliman 's The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine.  And it was Kliman who recommended the Norton wines from Stone Hill Winery in the The United Grapes of America. And why not. The winery is listed in  Paul Lukacs book, The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages because of their ability to produce quality Norton wines each and every year. Before prohibition, it was the second largest winery in the United States and was "winning gold medals in eight world's fairs, including Vienna in 1873 and Philadelphia in 1876". All that fell apart after prohibition until Jim and Betty Held purchased the property in the mid 1960s. They restored the winery, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and resumed producing quality wine recognized by Lukacs and seven Missouri Governor's Cups since 1994. As detailed in Kliman's book, cuttings from Stone Hill were used by Dennis Horton at Horton Vineyards to revive the Norton grape in its native Virginia.
Missouri wine industry. Yes, there's Vignole, Chardonel, Chambourcin, & St. Vincent; but Missouri wineries have raised the Real American Grape!
The United Grapes of America
StarChefs.com: The United Grapes of America
Norton is so popular in The Show Me State that we attended a National Norton Festival in St. Louis which showcased the versatility of the grape. It can be vinified into a full bodied  tannic wine or as a fruit forward summer wine served slightly chilled. Or it can be fortified into a Port style wine like the Stone Hill Winery 2002 Port. I purchased a couple bottles of this wine years ago in Kansas City, in a forgotten time when wine was allowed on-board planes. At the time it had just received some love from Wine Enthusiast magazine who had selected it as the best American Port. And two previous vintages had been awarded the  Missouri Governor’s Cup.

We learned in at the National Norton Festival that Norton wines should mature in the bottle for at least three years after bottling. Most Missouri wineries join Stone Hill in cellaring the wine for you for a couple years before releasing. The same holds for their Port. Along with their vinification methods, the wine does not possess any of the highly acidic and grapey characteristics of young Norton.  The flavor is rich with a blackberry profile and a hint of nuttiness & spiciness that is usually associated with Old Aged Tawny Port. Yes this wine isn't Portugal - but it is a very good American and Missourian port styled wine. 

Talking Norton and DLW with Jennifer McCloud

Monday, February 13, 2012

What's in the Barrel at Paradise Springs Winery?

During our Wednesday night #winechat featuring Viognier, we tasted and tweeted at Paradise Springs Winery. After the discussion, Kirk Wiles invited us to sample their 2011 vintage aging in barrel. Now, 2011 will be a challenging year - across the United States - even Mediterranean Napa Valley was affected by late season rain. In Virginia, the summer started off hot - with many grapes beginning to ripen on schedule. Then, in September, the weather cooled and the late season rains arrived. The grapes stopped maturing. Even worse, the grapes for one of the wines we tasted during #winechat, the 2011 Keswick Vineyards Les Vents d'Anges, were harvested the day after a hail storm. Can you image the condition of that fruit? Stephen Barnard performed admirably with that wine, and other winemakers will have work just as hard for their 2011 vintage.

At Paradise Springs, winemaker Rob Cox and assistant winemaker Michael Chang, are paying close attention to the wines in the tank and in the barrel. This evening we tasted Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Tannat, and Norton - all aging in different cooperages. For instance, they are aging Chardonnay in neutral and medium oak and will blend the components together before bottling. Most of the red wines are being aging in a reductive manner - where the wine may not be racked until bottling. The Cabernet Franc displayed this reductive character immediately, but once past the nose, the cherry fruit presents itself nicely. And the reduction will dissipate when racking at bottling. We also saw how the winery is the only Virginia winery to utilize a Chinese barrel. Yes, Chinese, from the Mongolicus forest. I believe it was the Malbec - and so far - so good. Yet, the biggest surprise was their Norton. Sourced from Chrysalis Vineyards, these grapes shrugged off the volatile weather as if laughing at the viniferia outsiders. Heat, humidity, cold, rain - so what. In barrel less than a couple months, the wine is already deep garnet in color with bright fruit flavors with none of the astringent acidity associated with new or poorly made Norton. This wine could be bottled today - it is that good now. And this wine, and how the grape responded to the 2011 season, justifies Jennifer McCloud's passion for Norton.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

"Discover Your Local Crush" During Virginia Wine Month

It's that time of year again; the heat and humidity is slowly dissipating, leaves are dying, summer flowers are exerting one last display of life, and the grape harvest is in full gear. And for the 24th year, the Commonwealth is celebrating Virginia Wine Month. This month's theme is "Discover Your Local Crush", acknowledging the state's numerous and diverse wine regions: Northern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia, Eastern Virginia, Chesapeake Bay, Blue Ridge Highlands, Hampton Roads, Heart of Appalachia, Southern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley AVA, Monticello AVA, Eastern Shore AVA, Washington Birthplace AVA, North Fork AVA, and the Rocky Knob AVA.

Regardless of the region, there will be ample opportunities to sample excellent wines, listen to music, enjoy the scenery, and meet the winemakers. We plan on starting Virginia Wine Month at Chrysalis Vineyards and their 11th Annual Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival. And why not, pair some of Virginia's native grape with Jackass Flats, Hickory Ridge, and Good Natured Riot. Then our favorite Charlottesville musician; no, not Dave Matthews; but William Walter performs at Delaplane Cellars. Then we will head back to Visit Loudoun to listen to more music and sample some Viognier. That's our "Discover Your Local Crush". What's yours? To help plan your outing visit WineCompass or Virginia Is For Lovers to find an event in your area.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

2011 Wine Bloggers Conference Pre-Tour: Loudoun County (DC's Wine Country)

One of the best kept secrets of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference was the Loudoun County Pre-Tour sponsored by Visit Loudoun. This two day tour was available to the first 25 bloggers who registered and consisted of visits to four wineries: Tarara Vineyard & Winery, Breaux Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, and Boxwood Winery. Each winery rolled out the red carpet with the winemaker greeting the participants and providing tours and tastings of their regular offerings as well as reserve and barrel wines. These were very intimate engagements where the participants were able to discuss Norton or Albarino with Jenni McCloud and Alan Kinne at Chrysalis; Bordeaux with Rachel Martin and Adam McTaggart at Boxwood, Terroir with Jordan Harris at Tarara; and Nebbiolo with the Breaux crew. These wineries may be familiar to the larger group of conference attendees since they participated in many of the WBC11 events in Charlottesville, either as sponsors, the twitter tastings, the Other 46 tasting, and the Monticello dinner.

Check out the video below, which includes audio from Stacey Sheetz of Visit Loudoun discussing the wine region, to see why this area is one of the top wine destinations in Virginia and considered DC's Wine Country. The video also features Tara Nevins (Donna the Buffalo) "Beauty of Days Gone By" from her new solo release: Wood & Stone. And below is a list of blog posts concerning the Loudoun pre-tour and WBC11.

Dallas Wine Chick: Loudoun County Wine Pre-Trip
Tarara Winery: WineBloggers
Wine Biz Radio: X Does WBC ’11
The Wine Hub: Why Terroir Matters – Blog by: Jordan Harris – Tarara Winery Winemaker

Monday, March 28, 2011

Virginia Wine TV - Talking Norton and DLW with Jennifer McCloud

To celebrate this year's DrinkLocalWine.com conference - scheduled for St. Louis, Missouri April 2nd-3rd - ourselves, Virginia Wine TV, and My Vine Spot organized a couple sessions tasting Kansas and Missouri Norton wines along with Jennifer McCloud from Chrysalis Vineyards. The first session was a filming of a Virginia Wine TV episode released today showing McCloud and Ms. Ballard discussing the history of the grape as well as its migration west and then its return to Virginia via Dennis Horton. During the episode they sampled wines from several highly regarded wineries in the Midwest. You have to watch the video to see their thoughts.

A week later Dezel and I organized a bloggers tasting of Norton wines at Chrysalis Vineyards with Jennifer McCloud leading the tasting once again. Along with several that I had accumulated while traveling to Kansas City, McCloud pulled a couple from her cellar as well as several older Chrysalis wines. The result of the tasting shows that, handled with care and aged, Norton wines are very drinkable and can exhibit the same complexity as wines made from viniferia grapes. We also found that the wines needed to be decanted before tasting as many had some reductive characteristics - but after several violent shakes of the glass - the aromas and flavors were properly released. Each of us had our favorites, and with McCloud's dedication to the grape there was no surprise that her wines were very good - whether the high end Locksley Reserve, the Estate Bottled Norton, or the fruity Sarah's Patio Red. The Westphalia Vineyards Norton was my favorite from the Midwest - this was a full bodied where the acids had been tamed and the wine mellowed to a smooth and very drinkable wine. And as expected the Stone Hill Winery Norton was quite nice. In neighboring Kansas, the grape is often referred to as Cynthiana and Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery releases a version that stands up to both time and being opened for over a week. The flavor profile from this wine most closely resembles those from Chrysalis - bigger than many of the Missouri wines but tame in its acidity.

During this tasting, Hump Astorga, Director of Culinary Operations at Chrysalis, showed how Norton is also a very food friendly wine. We set aside our favorites and paired them with two
of his creations: Bouches with Thyme-scented Goat Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon and Garlic Crostini, Locksley Estate Venison Pate and Norton-laced Cranberry Chutney. He explained how to pair wine and food and the idea to balance the acidity in the wine with the flavor and acidity in the food. Obviously us mortals don't have the culinary skills to craft these items, but the idea is the same: wine is meant to be to enjoyed with food - Norton included.

Take a peak at the DrinkLocalWine.com website and think about heading to St. Louis this weekend. You will earn why Norton is truly the "Great American" grape - the only indigenous grape variety that can be vinified into a full bodied comparable to the noble European grapes.

Thanks to Jennifer McCloud for hosting these events; Hump Astorga; and all the participants; included Michael, Dezel of My Vine Spot, Chris Parker from New Horizon Wines, Raelinn from Wine Ophelia, and Alleigh from A Glass After Work.

Wines we tasted from:

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Norton virtual tasting for DLW 2011: Missouri

With the assistance of Dezel from My Vine Spot and Jenny McCloud, proprietor of Chrysalis Vineyards, we will be hosting a virtual tasting of various Midwestern Norton wines on Wednesday March 23rd in anticipation for DLW 2011: Missouri. Even though Chrysalis possesses the world's largest planting of Norton grapes in their Virginia estates, Norton is most popular in the Midwest and Plains states with the largest plantings in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. Norton is best served aged, so we will be opening 8-10 year old wines from Chrysalis as well as the wineries listed below. We encourage everyone to open a bottle of Midwestern wine on the 23rd, whether Norton\Cynthania or St. Vincent, Chardonel, Vignoles; or any other grape variety. Just use the #DLWMO hash tag to share your thoughts. Cheers.

Kansas
Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery
Davenport Winery
Kugler's Vineyard

Missouri
Stone Hill Winery
Stonehaus Farms Winery
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
Adam Puchta Winery
Bethlehem Valley Vineyards
Röbller Vineyard Winery
St. James Winery

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Virginia First Lady visits several Northern Virginia Wineries

For the first two days of this week, First Lady Maureen McDonnell will conduct a series of wine tours in Northern Virginia as a part of The First Lady’s Initiatives Team Effort. The group will visit Chrysalis Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, Tarara Vineyards, Pearmund Cellars, Rappahannock Cellars, Philip Carter Winery. No doubt she will be able to sample some excellent Viognier, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot - grape varieties that do very well in the region.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

DrinkLocalWine.com Twitter Faceoff

We just finished the Twitter Taste-off where participants tweeted about wines they just tasted. The premier wineries from Virginia and Maryland were pouring and even more importantly the winemaker\proprietor was available to discuss their products. Each winery poured a red and a white and not surprisingly Viognier was a common white varietal. There were also a couple Chardonnay, the Chrysalis Vineyards Albarino, the Ingleside Vineyards Pinot Grigio, and the Lovingston Winery Petit Mangseng - but in general it was a Viognier face-off. And yes, Virginia makes a mean Viognier. Many we tasted were old favorites, but for the first time we sampled versions from Pollak Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, and the Michael Shaps Virginia Wineworks. In fact Shaps has been making Viognier way before it became standard among VA wineries. They were all very nice.

The selection of red wines was much more disparate. Some 100% varietals, but also many blends. Some Cabernet Franc, but also many Petite Verdot and Merlot. Sunset Hills Vineyard & Winery bucked the trend suggested in an earlier seminar and poured a Cabernet Sauvignon. Proprietor Mike Canney believes it works for their vineyard since the grape must struggle in the acidic soil. They also limit planting and prune excessively. So perhaps it works in selected vineyards, but not as a general rule. And as expected Jennifer McCloud was pouring the Chrysalis Vineyards Locksley Reserve Norton and Breaux Vineyards, their awesome 2002 Reserve Merlot. As much as we like single varietals, I think its the blends we prefer. The Barboursville Vineyards Octogon is always a favorite; Keswick Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards poured nice Meritages as did Williamsburg Winery with their Adagio.

There was a smaller sample of Maryland wines. Black Ankle Vineyards continues to impress - their Syrah was very popular. Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard has always been a favorite destination of ours their wines make the trip worthwhile. Unfortunately we didn't get around to the other MD wines but will catch up with Kevin Atticks of Maryland Wine to hear more about the state's wine industry.

After tasting each wine, attendees were required to select a favorite white, red, and overall favorite. The latter was split so that members of the media chose the Media Favorite and the general public selected a People's Choice. The best White Wine was awarded to Chrysalis Vineyards for their Albarino - which shows that esoteric vinifera wines can thrive in Virginia. Hat's off to Jennifer McCloud for planting the grape and producing a 100% varietal. The best Red Wine was awarded to Breaux Vineyards for their 2002 Reserve Merlot. This wine is silky smooth. It was apparent that the media weighed heavily in these last awards, because the Michael Shaps Virginia Wineworks Viognier was awarded the Peoples Choice - no complaints here. Shaps also crafts an authentic Cabernet Franc. The overall Media Choice: Breaux Vineyards 2002 Reserve Merlot. And after another glass at dinner that evening - a very respectable decision. More photos are available at CompassTours and Facebook.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Chrysalis Vineyards Hires Alan Kinne as Winemaker

Here is a press release we'd like to pass along - sounds like exciting events are occurring at Chrysalis Vineyards:

Alan Kinne--who began making wine in Virginia in 1979 when there were just 6 wineries in the state, then ventured West to craft award-winning Pinot Noir in Oregon and Zinfandel in California--is returning to his Old Dominion roots. Kinne has agreed to become winemaker at Chrysalis Vineyards.

From the late 80s to the late 90s, Kinne had a huge hand in driving Virginia's wine scene. He was a consultant for many wineries in the state, among them Horton Vineyards, Oasis Vineyards, Ingleside Plantation Vineyards, Piedmont Vineyards, Lake Anna Winery, Valhalla Vineyards, and Chrysalis Vineyards, and was widely in demand before heading out west to pursue a number of big opportunities.

Chrysalis Vineyards owner Jennifer McCloud first turned to Kinne -- the man who produced the first modern-era Nortons in Virginia, in the early '90s, at Horton Vineyards, not to mention the historic 1993 Horton Viognier, universally acclaimed as the finest Viognier ever made in America -- to teach her the ins and outs of winemaking when she met Kinne at a wine conference in 1995. She founded Chrysalis Vineyards in 1998. Kinne not only made the first bottles of wine that carried the Chrysalis Vineyards label, but he also managed McCloud's vineyards their first year.

The pair undertook three separate trips to Spain to research the varietals that thrive in the Spanish climate. Those trips helped to lay the foundation for Chrysalis Vineyards, a winery that seeks to work with and not against the terroir of its estate on the edges of Virginia horse country -- a mission that requires a winemaker to be open to experimenting with lesser-known grapes.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

DrinkLocalWine.com: DLW conference schedule

Along with several popular wine bloggers, we will be attending the 2010 DrinkLocalWine.com conference set for Loudoun County, Va. on April 25. Registration is open to the public and will set you back only $65, which includes three seminars, lunch, and the Twitter Taste-off. Plus its held at the famous Lansdowne Resort. Questions? Call (978) 276-9463 or send an email.

Wineries from both Virginia and Maryland will be participating including Breaux Vineyards, Chatham Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars, Ingleside Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, Keswick Vineyards, Potomac Point Winery, Rappahannock Cellars, and Veramar Vineyards from Virginia. The Maryland wineries participating are Black Ankle Vineyards, Serpent Ridge Vineyard, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Elk Run Vineyards, Cygnus Wine Cellars, and Fiore Winery. That's a good representation of the various wineries in the two states and Keswick Vineyards, Rappahannock Cellars, and Black Ankle Vineyards are recent Governor’s Cup winners in their respective states. We hope to see you there.

Schedule:

Conference registration, 8:30 a.m.

Thomas Jefferson was right: The grapes that work best for Virginia: 9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Moderator: Richard Leahy, Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. Panelists: Matthew Meyert, Williamsburg Winery; Jennifer McCloud, Chrysalis Vineyards; and Matthieu Finot, King Family Vineyards.

Social media: How regional wineries can get the word out: 10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Moderator: Michael Wangbicker DWS, CWE. Panelists: Lenn Thompson, New York Cork Report; Jennifer Breaux Blosser, Breaux Vineyards; Jeff Siegel, the Wine Curmudgeon.

Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

If local food, why not local wine? 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Moderator: Dave McIntyre, Washington Post. Panelists: Mary Watson-DeLauder, Lansdowne Resort; Andrew Stover, Chef Wino; Todd Kliman, Washingtonian magazine.

Twitter Taste-off, 2:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m. (Participants must be 21 or older.) Moderator: Kenton Fabrick, Twitter guru extraordinaire

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Rosé Wines

Lately we have been able to taste four very good dry rosé wines from Maryland and Virginia that are welcome alternatives to the sweet blush style wines. Maryland's Deep Creek Cellars offers a dry Rosé made from Cabernet Franc that is fruity and has a nice acidic finish. On the other side of the state, Solomons Island Winery offers a White (Rosé) Merlot. This Maryland Governors Cup Competition-Gold Medal wine is made in the style of the dry Rosés from Provence. This mat be my favorite. And in Virginia Chrysalis Vineyards and Bluemont Vineyards produce similar style rosé made from several grapes. The Chrysalis Mariposa is a Spanish style Clarete made from seven European varieties and a little Norton for color. The Bluemont Rosé - "The Donkey" is a blend of five varieties - Tannat, Tinta Cao, Nebbiolo, Viognier, and also a splash of Norton for color. Its nice to see dry rosé wines back vogue.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Chrysalis Vineyards - Norton

One of the participants of this week's Norton competition is Virginia's Chrysalis Vineyards, the largest grower of Norton in the world. Jennifer McCloud, the owner of Chrysalis, intends to "restore Norton to its position of eminence among fine wines". In doing so, the winery offers several types of Norton, from the whole clustered Sarah's Patio Red to their flagship wine - Locksley Reserve. In between, Chrysalis also produces an estate bottled as well as a barrel select Norton. The 2003 Chrysalis Vineyards Norton - Estate Bottled is our everyday table wine - full of grape flavors - and with a smooth finish. Their Norton - Barrel Select is a bit smokier with a heavier finish. Finally, their Locksley Reserve is the best, but a bit pricey at $35 a bottle. The grapes are grown from the home vineyards at Locksley Estate. The result: a strong grapey flavor balanced with a smooth smoky finish. I recently spent an hour at the winery savoring and analyzing every taste of this wine. Chrysalis should be very competitive this week.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Wine 101 - Norton

In 1873, the international wine community was stunned when a Norton wine was declared the “Best Red of All Nations” at an International competition in Vienna, Austria. At the time many European vineyards were just recovering from Phylloxera, and because of Norton’s relative immunity to disease and pests, this grape was designated as a possible savior to their ravaged vineyards. However, the vine’s intolerance to European soils lead to its quick fall from popularity. Today, Norton thrives in humid southern states, such as Virginia, Missouri as well as Arkansas, where it is referred to as the "Cabernet of the Ozarks".

Norton or Vitis Aestivalis is a native North American grape officially discovered in 1823 by Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton (1794-1842), a physician from Richmond. Dr. Norton cultivated and nurtured this new species in a small plot of land known as Magnolia Farm, just northwest of the city of Richmond, along with 26 other varieties. Modestly named after himself, Norton was not created intentionally, but resulted as a chance of nature through open pollination, possibly between Pinot Meunier and a now extinct hybrid known as Bland.

Shortly after his discovery, Norton was quickly adopted by many growers as a hearty varietal able to yield quality fruit for wine making. Based on sale documents, Norton is one of the oldest native grape varieties commercially used to make wine in North America. In fact, it was sold and used to make wines since 1830 as an inexpensive alternative to importing well-known European vinifera grapes, vines, and wines.

Norton exhibits hints of tart plums, sour cherries, or elderberries and has a spicy nose similar to Syrah. It is stronger in the front and mid-palette and has a velvety finish somewhere between a Merlot and Pinot Noir. Norton is often blended with other grapes like Tannat, Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot to provide a more balanced wine. These blends are still referred to as “Norton” since, by law, as long at 75% of the wine is made from a single grape, you can still label it with the varietal name.

The largest producer of Norton in its home state of Virginia, as well as the Eastern U.S., is Chrysalis Vineyards. The vineyard’s owner, Jennifer McCloud, has made growing quality Norton grapes a personal crusade. Two of their better releases are 2002 Norton - Estate Bottled and 2002 Norton - Locksley Reserve. These wines were awarded an 89 and 88 rating respectively by the Virginia Wine Guide. Another successful Norton producer in Virginia is Horton Vineyards. Horton was the first Virginian winery to produce Norton after prohibition and their last release, 2002 Norton, was awarded a rating of 89 by the Virginia Wine Guide.

Although Norton, was "discovered" in Virginia, it is more popular in the American Midwest, where the grape is sometimes known as Cynthiana. Missouri has a proud wine producing history and was the first federally-approved American viticulture. In the late 19th century, the state was the second largest wine producing state in the United States. Norton has gained wide customer acceptance in Missouri and in 2004-2005, Norton wines won the Governor's Cup for the Best Missouri Wine: Augusta Winery’s 2002 Estate Bottled Norton in 2004 and Mount Pleasant Winery’s 2003 Norton in 2005. Mark Baehmann ofChrysalis Vineyards attributed Norton’s success in Missouri to its ability to produce quality wine while remaining disease resistant and hardy through winter. Another celebrated Missouri Norton is produced by Stone Hill Winery. Park Lukacs designated this wine as one of America's 40 greatest wines. In neighboring Kansas, Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery's Cynthiana won the 2004 Jefferson's Cup as the best wine made in the Midwest. And two of our favorites are produced nearby by Davenport Winery and Kugler's Vineyard.

Norton appears to be gaining popularity elsewhere in the United States. In New Jersey, Valenzano Winery’s Cynthiana won their 2005 Governor's Cup. Approximately 70 wineries in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiania, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsyvania, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia are making Norton or Cynthiana wine. These numbers should expand as more consumers discover Norton wine. To view some of these wineries visit our Wine 101 section at Wine Compass.

Resources: “Red, White, and Norton” by Tolga Baki of Hillsborough Vineyards (http://www.hillsboroughwine.com) and the Virginia Wine Guide (http://www.virginiawineguide.com).