Missouri Wine: Norton - Missouri's Official State Grape

The Norton grape has been the backbone of the Missouri wine industry through the industry's rise in the second half of the 19th century and the modern era. It was a Norton wine that was declared the "Best Red of All Nations" at an 1873 International competition in Vienna, Austria - a feat repeated in several other subsequent world fairs. At the same time nurseries, such as Bush & Son & Meissner near St. Louis, were propagating the grape throughout the Midwest and most likely France too. These Missouri nurseries are credited with saving Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century after the phylloxera crisis by supplying disease-resistant rootstock. A major reason for its popularity is that Norton vines are very hardy and vigorous, resistant to numerous vine diseases and other growing problems such as downy mildew, powdery mildew, and bunch rot.

Post-prohibition, When Jim and Betty Held purchased the old Stone Hill Winery in 1965 - a winery that was once the second largest winery in the U.S. - they made Norton the lynchpin of their operation. Today it is the pride of their winery, as well as many other Missouri wineries, as Norton wine has become the most popular varietal wine in the Show Me State. It's easy to see why the Missouri Wine and Grape Board designated Norton Missouri's signature grape.

During our three day tour of the Kansas City area Missouri wineries, our group tasted several Norton wines representing various styles and geographic regions. In some instances, the wine was labeled Cynthiana which DNA suggests is the same grape but perhaps a distinct clone. The most widely produced styles are the big and bold reds that provide concentrated blackberry and dark cherry flavors and subtle spices, with the best versions taming the highly acidic and astringent character of the grape. Although Norton wines are low in tannins, the high acids encourage cellaring where older Nortons acquire a rounder profile with notes of chocolate and vanilla. Here are some of the group's favorite Norton wines.

Maureen Blum - MoWino
The St. James Winery Winemaker Series Norton 42 spoke to me at first swirl, sniff and impactful sip! As with many Norton wines, the dusty terroir flowed along in the long finish but it was the ripples of bright dark fruits that created a silky elegant sip to savor. Holding its own, the wine pairs beautifully with rich deep chocolate cake.

Katie Van Luchene - author of Insiders' Guide® to Kansas City and self-professed KC’s head cheerleader
During a tour of Stonehaus Farms Winery in — yes, Lee’s Summit, MO — owner and winemaker Brett Euritt described how he makes his port from estate-grown Cynthiana (also known as Norton, the state grape of Missouri), which is finished with California brandy and aged in charred bourbon barrels. The grapes provide notes of cherries and dark chocolate; the last step adds a smokey finish. I was impressed enough during the tasting to purchase a bottle (the $23 price was impressive as well). I’ll invite friends over for Port on the Deck where I’ll serve dark-chocolate truffles from Kansas City’s Panache Chocolatiers and Jerry will offer cigars from his humidor.

Sarah R. Jaquay -  wine and craft beer contributor to TheWineBuzz
Some of my favorites were Vox Vineyards 2014 and Cross J 2013--produced by Stone Hill Winery in Hermann. I purchased Cross J at the Merc and sampled it back home. The Cross J has aromas of chocolate and dark berries followed by robust fruit flavors with a dry finish. The oak comes through from beginning to end and it paired beautifully with grilled lamb chops.

Todd Godbout - WineCompass and theCompass Craft Beverage Finder
I agree with all of my fellow participant's recommendations and actually returned home with a bottle of the St. James Winery Winemaker Series Norton 42 and Stonehaus Farms Winery Cynthiana Port. My shipment home also included the Adam Puchta Winery 2016 Estate Norton grown in the historic homeland of Missouri wine, Hermann. This is a big boy, full of dark fruit and still abundant acids. I plan on allowing it to rest a couple years to tame the acids and anticipate a well-rounded wine with solid fruit and subtle spices and chocolate.

See other posts of the trips at Missouri Wine.

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!

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

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:

• Chrysalis Vineyards
• Adam Puchta Winery
• Stone Hill Winery
• St. James Winery
• Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery
• Stonehaus Farms Winery
• Les Bourgeois Vineyards
• Davenport Winery
• Kugler's Vineyard
• Westphalia Vineyards

Currently Drinking....

We haven't toured any wineries or breweries lately; instead, we've been clearing out our wine cellar. That means, drinking wine that we have purchased over the years and determining why we purchased it in the first place. Many were from our travels in Virginia. We had two bottles left from our friends at Corcoran Vineyards, their Viognier and Malbec. Both superb. In addition, there was Petit Verdot Veritas Vineyards and Jefferson Vineyards and White Hall Vineyards Petit Manseng from our Monticello WineTrail tour last year. We would purchase each again - no doubt - Petit Verdot is destined for Virginia's vineyards. We also had on hand the Valhalla Vineyards Alicante Bouschet. This grape is normally used in a blend in order to add color, but this winery choose to make a 100% varietal. And initially, we felt this was a poor decision - there didn't appear to be much flavor. But by the second day - the wine had breathed enough to come out of its shell - it turned into a decent wine - slightly spicy - similar to a Shiraz. In total - nice, but we prefer others. The last Virginia wine was a surprise, the Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery Perry- 75% Pear wine and 25% Mead. We were expecting an overly sweet dessert wine - but its actually made dry. The pear flavors take precedence with just a slight honey finish.

Of course we had to bleed through our Norton collection and found an abundance from Mount Pleasant Winery and Stone Hill Winery. These two Missouri wineries have mastered the art of eliminating the grape's inherent acidity and grapey flavor. The Mount Pleasant version was aged slightly longer so is a bit spicier and oak - but for Norton wines - these are perhaps the most consistent.

While traveling to Seven Springs we usually visit Glades Pike Winery - so there were several samples available. The Baco Noir was not very impressive and we are not sure what instigated the decision to purchase. The Diamond was good - we had to be in a sweeter mood - but this is perhaps the most drinkable labrusca grape. We also opened a bottle of their Mountain Mead - and although a little sweet - is a good honey wine. I also blended with Apple Jack made in North Garden for an interesting concoction - talking about keeping warm.

Finally we found a two wines that we should have bothered aging - we must have forgotten about them, but these wines are made to drink now: Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #44 and Gnarly Head Zinfandel. Sonoma's, Marietta Cellars wines are usually excellent and the Old Vine Red is an affordable everyday wine. The same holds for the Gnarly - there are others that have a better pedigree - but for the price - this is our Zin.

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).

Stone Hill Winery - Hermannsberger

If you are looking for an excellent value wine, we suggest Stone Hill Winery's Hermannsberger. This is a dry, medium-bodied blend of Norton, Vincent, and Chambourcin. It has a strong, fruity aroma with a smooth finish. Whereas the Hermannsberger can't complete in overall quality with Stone Hill's vintage Norton, at $10 a bottle, its a great everyday table wine. And in the wine's defense, it did win a Silver medal at the 2006 Missouri State Fair. The winery recommends drinking with pizza, pasta, steaks or burgers. We also recommend letting the bottle breathe a few minutes. If your on a budget and can't afford their Norton, the Hermannsberger is the best alternative.