It's time for another of our occasional peeks at the unusual but likable American grape that's interchangeably called Norton or Cynthiana. An intriguing variety that's produced mostly by small-farm wineries in the Midwestern and Southern U.S., it makes a clean, fresh wine that - happily - lacks the overwhelming "grape jelly" flavor that puts most serious wine enthusiasts off American native varieties.
As a matter of fact, many of the Nortons I've sampled boast intriguing mixed red and black fruit flavors that remind me more than a little of an American immigrant grape, Zinfandel.
Summing up some of our earlier reports, Norton neither a French-American hybrid nor a cross of varieties. It's a full-blooded American native grape, but it's no kin to the <i>vitis labrusca</i> such as Concord and similar grape-jelly varieties. It's an entirely different species, vitis aestivalis ("summer grape"), discovered in the 1830s in Virginia.
Originally called "Virginia Seedling," the small blue-black grape was enthusiastically embraced by 19th century Eastern American wine makers, who were delighted with its winter-hardiness and the absence of that overwhelming "grape jelly" aromas associated with Concord and its kin.
Today it's enjoying a small renaissance from Arkansas (where it's usually called Cynthiana) and Missouri (where it's most often called Norton), east to Virginia and North Carolina and west to Nebraska and Iowa.
A very few Nortons come from producers large enough to supply a limited market outside their home territory, but by and large - as I wrote in my column "Locavino" a few weeks ago, wine enthusiasts who want to add Norton or Cynthiana to their "life list" may have to hit the Eastern wine roads on a winery day trip.
For today's tasting I feature a well-made if rather tutti-frutti-style Norton from Chrisman Mill, a respected Kentucky winery in the town of Nicholasville, with a tasting room in the larger Central Kentucky city of Lexington.
Chrisman Hill Vineyards 2006 Kentucky Norton ($17.99)Very deep ruby color with a reddish-violet edge. Fresh, almost jammy fruit, plums and blackberries, brown spice and an intriguing touch of something akin to old-time sarsaparilla. (That's root beer to you young'uns.) A big, juicy flavor, ripe black fruit and plenty of mouth-watering acidity and perhaps just a touch of sweetness. Definitely on the fruity side, but well balanced and good with food, with just a touch of pleasant bitterness in the finish. A decent interpretation of the unusual American Norton grape, made in a fruity "crowd-pleasing" style. (July 14, 2008)
FOOD MATCH: It worked very well with thick, pan-seared natural pork chops, and would pass muster with just about any red meat or grilled poultry.
VALUE: This price point near $20 strikes me as a bit spendy for an offbeat variety from a winery in a state not known for its wine, but it's a well-made red, and you'll pay more than a double sawbuck for plenty of those.
WHEN TO DRINK: Norton fanciers argue that it will benefit from careful cellaring like other full-bodied, well-structured red wines; still, the high-fruit character of this model suggests drinking it up reasonably soon.
WEB LINK:
The Chrisman Mill Website contains abundant information about the winery, visitor information and tasting reports.
http://www.chrismanmill.com/
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
As with most Eastern wineries, it's simplest to buy at the winery or selected in-state retailers. For information about shipment to approximately 20 U.S. states, see the winery Website shipping page,
http://www.chrismanmill.com/store/catalog.php
