WTN: Pure Spite Norton Calif '12..(short/boring)

Tried this this afternoon w/ JimAllen, founder of SequoiaGrove. When Jim was a home winemaker in SantaFe, his BacoNoir was one of the worst wines I ever tried. Thought this might bring back fond memories of that BacoNoir for Jim & me. It did not:
1. PureSpite Norton Calif (11.21%) P&B by PureSpite/Napa 2012: Very dark color; some blackcurranty/plummy bit herbal/earthy/loamy slight chocolaty/lavendar light oak/toasty rather exotic nose; rather tart/rough/hard herbal/loamy/mushroomy some blackcurranty/chocolaty/lavender/sage/musky slight toasty/oak slight coarse/rustic flavor w/ light hard/gritty tannins; med.long pungent/musky/lavendar/sage some plummy/blackcurranty/chocolaty light toasty/oak bit rustic/coarse finish w/ light hard/angular tannins; by far the best Norton I've ever had. $26.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Norton: The grape was introduced by Dr.Danial Norton back around 1830 (I have, of course, followed Norton from the very start). It is a member of the Vitis aestivalis family, rather than Vitis Labrusco. As such, it displays much less "foxy" character than Labrusca wines. It has been shown by DNA to be identical to Cynthiana. It has the highest total anthocyanin content of any purple grape. It is regarded, rather than Zinfandel, to be the one/true American grape. There are large plantings in Virginia and Missouri. It is, in fact, the State grape of Missouri.
There are very few plantings of Norton West of the RockyMtns. I can't find out anything of the folks behind PureSpite. If they're growing Norton in the NapaVlly, then they're absolute lunatics. Maybe, if there is a big enough planting of Norton in Calif...I should suggest it to MattRorick & BryanHarrington. It would be solid evidence that those two have done gone 'round the bend. I stumbled upon this btl at CortiBros several weeks ago. No surprise there, I guess.
PureSpite
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2. I can never try a Norton w/o it bringing a grin to my face. It always brings back fond memories of EdNorton on the Honeymooners ("Bam/Zoom..trip to the moon"). When I was little, I always wanted to be on the goofy side and work in the NewYorkCity sewers. I got the first one down pat...but failed to become a sewer worker....instead had to settle for the less ambitious goal of a good ole country computational physicist at a National Laboratory. Ohhh well....since I haven't grown up yet..there is still hope to fulfill my ambitions.
Tom

According to Darrell, this wine is made up in Napa by Milan Vujic, of Croatia. This first vintage came from the Gallo vnyd in the Delta. The next one is from up in the foothills near PineGrove. The third is from the HeringerVnyd in the Delta.
Who'd have thunk there was that much Norton planted in Calif.

Maybe I should start an organization...NEB (Norton Enthusiasts & Believers). Ooops...think that's already taken.
Tom

Sign me up.

I've got Riedel's Norton glass!

Wow! Norton in Callifornia. Who'da thunk it?

Milan Vujnic
July 3 at 10:10am

Hi Tom, thank you for your kind words. I am glad that you enjoyed the wine. I've been fascinated with Norton for a long time, its incredible story and the unique flavor profile. That's why I decided to do my part in preserving and, hopefully restoring the former glory of this great piece of American heritage. Needless to say, it's been an uphill battle from the very beginning when it comes to marketing and selling it. 2012 vintage, the one you tried, actually comes from Gallo's experimental vineyard in Russian River Valley. The two subsequent vintages come from the Sierra Foothills area, just outside Plymouth and those are cofermented with Lodi zinfandel. The goal was to combine the grape native to the country I come from and the grape native to my current home. To my knowledge, there could be no more than 5 acres under Norton in California, however there are some new plantings in Clarksburg area. Thank you for spreading the word. Cheers! Milan Vujnic