Name: Horton - Horton Vineyards - Norton
Variety: 100% Norton
Region: Gordonsville, VA
Country: USA
Year: 2016
Price: $17
Vivino Tasting Notes: Of this vintage, an intense fruity aroma of plum and cherries fill the nose, while the dry, acidic, tannin notes intermingle across the palate, finishing smooth with a touch of vanilla. A few others described this vintage to be 'jammy,' rich, spicy, and even 'foxy.' - Vivino Comments and Tasting Notes
Wine Folly: As before, the book lacks information about such an obscure varietal. The back of the bottle describes the Horton varietal as the 'original Virginia claret,' a grape that is native to Virginia and had produced internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800's. A dark, rich color, with an aroma of plums and tart cherries, and a spicy finish a descriptors the winery flaunts of this grape.
My review: Second in a small vertical series I decided to try. This first bottle is a 2016 vintage of Norton, from the Virginia based Horton Winery - a favorite of my mother's. It's aroma is heavy with notes of oak, mild fresh drying tobacco, baking spices galor, and even a somewhat smell of what I can only describe as being the smell of grape preserves. The mouthfeel is mildly harsh, the 2015 vintage was much smoother, despite having four years aging in the bottle. Notes of dried figs, black currants, black pepper, nutmeg, and oak continue to show, just as the 2015 vintage, though the dried fruits seem much more potent, combined with heavy tannin presence, leather, and hints of vanilla and tobacco. It finishes smooth, but still not quite as smooth as the 2015 vintage, and the tingling acidity is definitely more apparent.
No food was had, while tasting this wine - just a glass, and some good music.
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