1998 Horton Vineyards "Norton" Orange County, Virginia

[Drew]

My friend, Mike Dutton, sent me this some time ago and I finally popped this tonight with homemade 15 mix bean soup, fresh French bread and salad.
WHAT A COLOR!! Beautiful, regal, purple/garnet...almost opaque with a rich nose of mature plum, cherry and sweet oak. Mature plums and tart cherries dance on your palate and finish long. The Norton grape almost seems to be a mix of Zin, Cab and Syrah, but it is indeed a grape to it's own. The label reads: "Horton Vineyards is proud to re-introduce the famous Norton Wine, the original Virginia claret. Norton is the native Virginia grape that produced the internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800's. My wife and I really enjoyed this wine and I would encourage anyone to try this Virginia wine.
Thanks Mike.

Drew