United States of Wine

Noboleis Vineyards – Norton – 2019 – Augusta, MO

Price: $20.99; Total Wine, Liberty, Missouri

When I was first learning about the Norton grape that was first cultivated in Virginia, I heard that Missouri was the best state to drink Norton wine from. But at the time, a Norton from Virginia was all we had.

A recent trip to Missouri for some baseball put us within driving distance of a Kansas City-area Total Wine, so I popped in to find a bottle of Norton wine by Noboleis Vineyards—which is actually closer to St. Louis.

One of the first things I noticed was the color of the wine. A beautiful dark ruby wine, but also muddy enough that light didn’t shine through.

The wine smelled strongly of fruit at first whiff. It took several minutes before I was able to separate the scents into dark red fruits like bold cherry and blackberry. But I could also smell a muskiness, like walking through a wet, wooded area. My tasting partner was brought back to his youth church days, as he felt like this Norton smelled like sacramental wine juice.

The first tastes were before the wine had fully opened up, though I had swirled the wine in a glass on and off for nearly 20 minutes. I decided to give far more time to get more air after an excessive sour taste.

With more time, the sourness was reduced, but it never quite went away. This wasn’t just a tart wine, there was indeed a sourness to it. But as it opened, I could taste the fruits I had smelled, with some additional bitter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

This full-bodied wine was oaky with a hint of a dry velvety feel.

While I was able to get used to the sourness to taste the full flavors of the wine, my drinking partner could not get past the sour.

This Norton wine from Missouri reminded me of a very tart blackberry pie, filled with fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg, but nowhere near enough sugar. So if you liked fruit pies made during the sugar rationing era of World War II, this wine is for you.

Score: 6.0/10