WTN: Horton Norton Hears a what the ****

[David M. Bueker]

1994 Horton Norton (Orange County Virginia)
Gifted to me 2 years ago as a bit of a lark, this was served blind this evening to Salil. The shock heard round the table would be an adequate description. The cork totally crumbled as I pulled it, lessening already low expectations, but the first sniff was a revelation of leather and meat. To say this was alive and well would be such a gross understatement, as to be likened to saying Rick Perry has memory lapses. Served with some spicy pork, the fruit of the wine actually came out to play rather than hiding in the background, and ultimately made this a delicious wine to drink. I recall the quality of older Hortons from back when i lived in Virginia in the late '80s, and the disappointing showings of the same wines from the mid 2000s, so this wine is something that just speaks of a different method, a different intent, and clearly a different result. In a word - wow. That the humble Norton grape could produce such a wine is not shocking but rather inspiring.

very cool! had this a couple times before, but never this old. always thought of Norton as dark-fruited, so it's cool to hear about the meatiness that this bottle had. yum!

Sounds like the Norton Hortons from yast pears.

yast pears.???

[Jenise]

The one Horton Norton I had years ago would never have prepared me for a reception like the one yours gave you. Interesting!

Notes like this make me sad. Horton made some good wine back then.

It is descriptions like yours that for years has made me want to try my luck with Norton, either in the Ozarks or VA. The problem is that they aren't California. Pay scale and lifestyle are different, and there just aren't that many opportunities out that direction. But the grape has a reputation, and I'm itching to explore what can be done with it.

It is descriptions like yours that for years has made me want to try my luck with Norton, either in the Ozarks or VA. The problem is that they aren't California. Pay scale and lifestyle are different, and there just aren't that many opportunities out that direction. But the grape has a reputation, and I'm itching to explore what can be done with it.

Craig,
When you sold Gan Eden, you stated at the time that it was the educational opportunities for your children that were constraining where you could live. Are they now of an age where you can move more freely?

Mark Lipton

Notes like this make me sad. Horton made some good wine back then.

Yup....DennisHorton used to make some terrific wines when he first started making Viog & Syrah.
The ones over the last 10 yrs I've had have been.....unthrilling...to say the least.
Tom

In response to Mark Lipton, yes, for the most part, I can move more freely. I still have 2 girls in high school, but they are independent and can board, if necessary. I have a 6th grader, though, who needs a Jewish school and to live at home. However, it doesn't need to be in Los Angeles, it can be anywhere. I'm far more free to live where wine is grown now than I was in 2005, but still tied to Jewish grade school education for 1 kid. But how far is St. Louis from the prime Norton area? Or Silver Spring from Virginia's? The fact is that I'm in CA, and would love to be able to stay here and continue making CA wine. But if I locate elsewhere, at least there are some grapes that could properly be made into world class wines, and given a few years of learning the capabilities of the grapes, I wouldn't be relegated to SoCal or Seattle anymore. So the question is whether there are excellent quality (Norton) grapes available in commercial quatities from existing vineyards, or whether I would need to plant my own. Out here in California, most vineyards are independent of any particular wineries. Out there, it may be that most grapes are grown by the wineries themselves. When I was first looking for a place to relocate my family, I thought about locating east, but there were no available positions, and I didn't want to live off the proceeds of the sale. Having moved to Los Angeles, I blew through those savings anyway (costs a lot to live here). Now that I'm broke, the cheapest way to start a winery again is back east, where real estate and everythign else is cheaper.

Or Silver Spring from Virginia's? ...... So the question is whether there are excellent quality (Norton) grapes available in commercial quatities from existing vineyards, or whether I would need to plant my own. Out here in California, most vineyards are independent of any particular wineries. Out there, it may be that most grapes are grown by the wineries themselves.

Silver Spring may actually be possible. It's a little far for VA but look up Black Ankle. The winery and vineyards are in Mt. Airy but the owners live in Silver Spring.

I don't know as much about the economics in VA as I do MD. Grapes grown in MD are not sufficient to satisfy winery needs and a lot of grapes are brought in from out of state. This has led to a number of commercial growers that do not have wineries. The state has promoted grapes as an alternative crop to tobacco and provided assistance. MD and VA often work together on education and outreach for new growers. VA had a workshop recently that included a special focus on Norton. Tony Wolf at VA Tech would be the one to talk to about Norton in VA if you want a statewide view and can provide much more info as to best growing regions and commercial availability of grapes/prices.

[James Roscoe]

There is an excellent Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD called Charles Smith I believe. Rockville is less than 30 mins. from Mt. Airy. I would suspect there is a school in Charlottesville, VA as well, but can't vouch for it. I do know there are some over in Northern Virginia closer to the Northern Virginia wineries such as Chrysalis which does an excellent Norton.

Gee, thanks Brian! I had no expectation that anyone would chime in with information pertaining to my interest. I will indeed contact the resources you suggest. James, Rockville is of course another possibility. I don't think there is any orthodox community or infrastructure in Charlottesville, however. A pity, since one of my best friends has for years been a prominent artist living there with his family. And I'm sure working for Trump would be a trip. They could certainly use an experienced winemaker, I'm sure. Don't think they do a Norton, but there's always a first time.

Craig, No problem and your welcome. If you are seriously going to look towards Maryland then you probably also want to talk with Joe Fiola at the University of Maryland http://www.westernmaryland.umd.edu/viticulturesmallfruit.htm

Also may be interested in Maryland Grape Growers Association http://www.marylandgrapes.org/ and the Maryland Wineries Association http://www.marylandwine.com/

Not sure if Pennsylvania holds any options for you but if so Mark Chein at Penn State is the best initial contact. I don't see his info on this page http://winegrape.cas.psu.edu/ but he is still the guy running it.

If you did not already find Tony Wolf's contact info, its here http://www.arec.vaes.vt.edu/alson-h-smith/people/wolf/wolf-bio2.html