Arterra’s Norton Comparison and Release

I never thought I’d find Norton that I would enjoy, and today I learned why so many Norton’s were not to my taste. This event was fun, filled with good people, amazing food, and a really interesting wine comparison, and paired well with some great information and education.

The discussion was led by Jason Murray, Arterra co-owner and Winemaker, and Mike Macey, winergrower for the Norton grapes that Arterra brings in for the Buyukbaba (Grandfather) Norton wine. There is so much to this story, as Mike and Oya (who own the vineyard) were patrons of Arterra who appreciated Jason’s style of winemaking and decided to plant grapes, and asked Jason to help them create a vineyard on their property. They’ve had this relationship for seven years, and are four harvests in with the Norton. Arterra released the 2020 Buyukbaba back in the Fall of 2022, with a limit of two bottles per club member. I jumped on it at that time because it was unlike any other Norton wine I’d had, and I loved it. I recently opened one bottle while binge-watching Amazon Prime and loved it so much I drank the whole bottle. 

Jason shared that some of his interest in Norton came from reading a book called “The Wild Vine” which is a history of Norton wine in the United States (this has been added to my books to read list). Because this grape is disease resistant and cold hardy, it grows very happily in Virginia, and as a result, it seems many winegrowers plant it in less favorable soils and locations – and reserve their best sites for more delicate (and popular and harder to grow) grapes. As a result, you get what you planted – you get a vine that grows well, but ends up being less properly cared for (not pruned enough, not enough clusters dropped) and you get grapes picked at the wrong time that are under-ripe and may have too much acidity. As I listened to them share this story, it occurred to me that this is why I tend to dislike Norton – it oftens comes across to me as very vegetal, which is how I interpret under-ripe grapes made into wine. I often find Nortons heavily infused with oak and additives that leave me disappointed – this just isn’t what I like in wine.

Jason approached the Macey’s vineyard with an intention of farming Norton grapes properly and ensuring that the grapes fully ripened (in 2023 they were the last varietal harvested to ensure acidity dropped and grapes fully ripened) so they could make great wine. For the first three vintages (2020, 2021, and 2022) he focused on using the amphora to ferment the wine – hence the name – Buyukbaba means grandfather in Turkish, and the amphora is an ancient technique for making wine (especially in the Mediterranean) so it all comes together. 

The three vintages of Arterra Norton (2020, 2021, and 2023 from the barrel – 2022 was recently bottled and we would taste a ton of bottle shock that would not let us get a good sense for the fruit and wine so it was left out of the mix) and two Missouri Nortons along with one Cynthiana from a Missouri winery that sourced the grapes from the Ozarks in Arkansas. I didn’t fully capture the relationship between the Cynthiana grape and Norton, but Jason went into an explanation. I quickly googled and got this from Missouri State University:

“DNA analysis by MSU research team reveals the grapes are identical. The long-running debate of whether Norton, the official state grape of Missouri, and Cynthiana, the official state grape of Arkansas, are actually the same cultivar can be put to rest.”

Jason and the team had done like a quadruple blind tasting of the wines – with all six bottles wrapped and even the tops hidden under masking tape (otherwise Arterra’s signature screwcap top would giveaway which was theirs). We had all six glasses arranged thus around a tasting mat.

The list below the chart did not match the wine arrangement, and we were to taste all six and then reflect and consider what we noticed about the wines. I took a sip of all six and noticed an immediate commonality or relationship between glass three and glass six. Glass five presented a very oakey/vegetal reference for me that felt very characteristic of Norton (or as Matt coined “Norton-y”). Glass one and two presented nicely, and somewhat soft, but I was certain they were not Arterra. Glass four presented at first as very wound up and unclear and at first I really disliked it. We will get back to glass four in a moment.

Shortly, Oya and Sandy brought down trays of Turkish appetizers that were simply, totally, amazing. We had stuffed grape leaves, baba ganoush (with pomegranate!), incredible hummus, mozzarella with tiny tomatoes, bread with goat cheese and fig jam, and olives with feta. The food paired amazingly with the wines while we talked through what everyone noticed about each glass.

After a great deal of discussion of what individuals noticed in each wine, we sampled each again and Jason unveiled which wine it was. Glass one turned out to be the Estate Norton from Stone Hill in Missouri – this is their high-end wine. It actually drank nicely, and is considered to be a benchmark for US Norton. Glass two was the St. James Cynthiana. This was pleasant to drink, but not a wine I might choose to purchase. Glass three was the Arterra 2021 Norton. Jason shared that unlike the 2020 and 2022 vintages, this one aged for ten months in the amphora, which makes it a very old world style of wine. The amphora allows more oxygen in to soften the wine and adds gentle minerality from the clay vessel. The 2021 vintage spent ten months in the vessel, much longer than the four months he intended. While Jason was very unhappy with it in the bottle when considering release in the fall of 2023, he sampled again a little later and became happier with the wine, and held it to release until now. This was a good call, because it is presented as a subtle, jammy wine with lovely fruit character and drinks very easily. I’d say it’s slightly softer than I remember the 2020 vintage being (though for a moment, I thought this was the 2020 vintage, and was surprised when it was revealed to be the 2021). I liked this a lot, and took my full allocation of two bottles home.

Glass four opened up quite a bit by this point (close to two hours into the event) and was actually a jammy and lovely, fun wine. It presented a good but of punch and power, which is the trademark of the 2023 vintage. This was a barrel sample of the 2023 Norton, and was lovely. Jason is not using the amphora for this wine, and it will not be labeled as Buyukbaba as a result (grandfather is reserved for the ancient technique). Jason wants to see if using his standard methods produces a strong wine that shows the characteristics of the fruit and land. This one looks very interesting right now.

Glass five was the Stone Hill Norton from 2020. This wine was not a style I favored, as it had very heavy oak and a deep vegetal, grassy quality to it. Glass six turned out to be the 2020 Buyukbaba – and it was my friend’s favorite wine of the afternoon. It’s showing gorgeously right now, and likely will for some time, given the tannins in the Norton. I have one bottle remaining, that sits in my wine fridge in the basement, and I do want to hold it for some time – I suspect it’s going to just continue to be lovely.

Jason was conscientious about not including other Virginia Norton producers – as Virginia Norton has a major love/hate relationship around it – it evokes strong emotions, and patrons who favor Arterra’s style of winemaking are less likely to gravitate to the Nortons that populate Virginia (caveat – I am not well-versed in Virginia Norton, but I’ve had several wineries’ vintages of it and it just hasn’t been my cup of tea). Jason wanted to compare to Missouri, which is the major producer, though Virginia continues to expand production.

Reflecting on this event, I’m really hopeful. A grape I have not historically loved can produce a wine that I love, AND that wows me. As Virginia continues to explore, experiment, and create with this wine, we are likely to see more variety and more interesting samples that appeal to more and more people. I am aware of the fact that there are people who adore Norton in Virginia, and that for some, this is their preferred style of wine, and I want to honor that. Find what matches your palate and enjoy it! Heaven knows people disagree with my preferences. But what this event shows me is that it truly is about winemaker approach to the farming and winemaking process, not about the grape. As we go deeper into Climate Change and see seasonal patterns shift, we will continue to see hybrid grapes move into wine production in greater volume. While I have not loved them in the past, I am more open than ever to the idea that growers and makers can bring strong practice and technique to bear and make amazing wine that I will love from any grape. Kudos to Arterra for diving in, experimenting with this grape and applying techniques to make a wine that reflects their philosophy, and that is simply delightful.

Have you found a Norton you love?