WTN: Two Missouri Nortons...(short/boring)

There is a special place in my heart for the Norton grape. I tried these two back in KansasCity:
1. WestphaliaVnyds Norton Reserve OsageCnty/MO (13%; No Sulfites Added; Contains No Detectable Sulfites; www.WestPhaliaVineyards.com; Aged: Missouri WhiteOak) Winemaker/Jerry Neuner 2012: Dark color w/ some browning; very strong earthy/loamy/raw beets/Kansas root cellar some boysenberry/blackberry bit vanilla/Am.oak slight hybridy/vinyl plasticizer/new vinyl trash can nose; soft/flat bit metallic/tangy strong earthy/loamy/cooked beets/compost pile bit sour slight boysenberry/plastic/hybridy rather coarse flavor w/ light tangy/sharp tannins; med.long soft tangy/metallic raw beets/very loamy/dusty/coarse bit vinyl/hybridy slight boysenberry/chocolaty quite coarse/earthy finish w/ light tangy/bitey tannins; a rather coarse/rough/rustic/loamy wine that doesn't offer much pleasure but might go well with BBQ Missouri raccoon or possum. $17.40 (G/KC)
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2. BaltimoreBendVnyds Norton Waverly/MO (13.9%; www.BaltimoreBend.com) 2011: Very dark color; strong blackberry/boysenberry/Mourv-like/plummy/chocolaty light earthy/dusty slight toasty/Am.oak/vanilla almost ContraCosta Mataro-like nose; soft rather earthy/loamy tangy/metallic/tinny some plummy/boysenberry/blackberry/chocolaty bit rough/coarse flavor w/ modest rough tannins; long some earthy/coarse/loamy soft rather tangy/metallic light vanilla/Am.oak plummy/boysenberry/licorice finish w/ some rough/gritty tannins; a bit like an old-vine Mourv from the Languedoc; a bit too much on the rough/coarse side on the palate. $18.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The special place in my heart for Norton is entirely due to EdNorton/Honeymooners. This very goofy guy was my idol back in my wasted youth. Ed, of course, worked in the sewers of NYC. My ambition, back then, was to become a sewer worker like ole Ed. Alas...KC didn't have much in the way of sewers. So I had to settle for the fallback position on my career path: a simple little ole country (spoken in my best SamErvin drawl) computational physicist. Whatta waste of talent.
Norton is a grape from Vitis aestivalis. The related Cynthiana grape is identical DNA-wise and believed to be a mutation of Norton. The variety originated in VA from a seedling of Bland and some other unknown parent grape. The skins have the highest anthocynanin content of any purple grape, yielding very darkly colored wines.
And....would you believe...the is a special Reidel glass for Norton?? Probably sells well to those country yokels in Missouri.
I've never had a Nortonthat particularly blew me away. Probably the Horton Norton (that does have a nice ring to it) is one of the best I've had. They typically display a strong earthy/loamy streak and seem on the coarse side.
Tom

Back in the 70s and 80s we attended the Monterrey Jazz Festival each year. The venue is outdoors and we were fortunate enough to occupy one half of what was considered the "Company Box. For a couple of those years Art Carney sat in the other half with friends.When we made inquires to him he asked us not to broadcast his presence around so he could listen to the music undisturbed. We then decided that he would be known to other people who inquired as the man who looked like Art Carney but wasn't. He played along and we had many laughs due to his participation. On the last night of the first year he after Oscar Peterson finished playing he jumped up and gave us all a loud VAVAVOOM with the the arm and hand motions that he used on the Honeymooner shows. We gave both Art and Oscar a standing ovation. Delightful human being.

And....would you believe...the is a special Reidel glass for Norton?? Probably sells well to those country yokels in Missouri.

Excuse me I have one of those glasses.

I think the best two Nortons I've tasted are Augusta Vineyards, Missouri (both the standard and Reserve) and Chrysalis Vineyards especially her Locksley Reserve. Adam Puchta's top label is very good too.

Chrysalis have the largest plantings of Norton

(I've not encountered either of the two you had)

What an awesome story, Lou! But you had me at Oscar Peterson!

What an awesome story, Lou! But you had me at Oscar Peterson!

Oscar P fabulous piano player one of the greatest of all time IMHO. Oscar was a Canadian you have not forgotten that I'm sure.