The Norton Wine Traveler's Wine Journal
| Wineries Visited: 251Journal Entries:  254Photos Uploaded:  0 |  |
| About: Former military pilot and retired educator enjoying life with rhododendrons, magnolias, travels, and Norton wine explorations. Recommended reading of Norton wines is Todd Kliman's The Wild Vine. | ||
Favorite States
| State | Your Reviews | Wineries in State | Percent | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Wineries | 48 | 130 | 36% |  |
| Arkansas Wineries | 6 | 17 | 35% |  |
| Louisiana Wineries | 2 | 6 | 33% |  |
| Georgia Wineries | 16 | 51 | 31% |  |
| South Carolina Wineries | 5 | 22 | 22% |  |
| Alabama Wineries | 4 | 19 | 21% |  |
| Tennessee Wineries | 10 | 49 | 20% |  |
| Virginia Wineries | 49 | 270 | 18% |  |
| Kentucky Wineries | 11 | 62 | 17% |  |
| West Virginia Wineries | 2 | 13 | 15% |  |
| North Carolina Wineries | 19 | 129 | 14% |  |
| Rhode Island Wineries | 1 | 9 | 11% |  |
| Illinois Wineries | 10 | 94 | 10% |  |
| New Hampshire Wineries | 2 | 21 | 9% |  |
| Massachusetts Wineries | 2 | 35 | 5% |  |
| Kansas Wineries | 2 | 36 | 5% | |
| New Mexico Wineries | 2 | 49 | 4% |  |
| Minnesota Wineries | 2 | 54 | 3% |  |
| Maryland Wineries | 2 | 69 | 2% |  |
| Oklahoma Wineries | 1 | 37 | 2% | |
| Wisconsin Wineries | 2 | 76 | 2% | |
| Iowa Wineries | 2 | 83 | 2% | |
| Idaho Wineries | 1 | 45 | 2% | |
| Pennsylvania Wineries | 4 | 190 | 2% | |
| Texas Wineries | 4 | 232 | 1% |  |
| New Jersey Wineries | 1 | 60 | 1% | |
| California Wineries | 16 | 1641 | 1% | |
| New York Wineries | 1 | 256 | 1% | |
Latest Winery Visits
Lazy Bear Winery (added Dec 22, 2019)
Chattooga Belle Farm (added Dec 22, 2019)
Cameron Hughes Wine (added Dec 08, 2018)
Cedar Creek Vineyards (added Nov 02, 2018)
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Latest Wine Journal Entries
Lazy Bear Winery (written Dec 22, 2019)
Wine: 
Winery: Ambiance:
A countryside find along a rural road leading up to South Carolina's Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy. Thirteen fruit or mead offerings plus two typical Southern muscadine wines. A non pretentious family operation which is currently operating in a small tasting room with expansions to come soon. During good weather, there are tables set up for outside venues. Started in 2010 and open to public now for three years, time is on the side of this venture. It will be interesting to see how this develops in the years to come.
Hedman Vineyards and Winery at the Peachbarn (written Nov 27, 2019)
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Winery: 
Ambiance:
Norton Wine Review. Some days you get lucky while searching a vineyard area with so many disappointing wineries and finding the exception as Hedman Vineyards. A hand trim-painted barn-like delightful setting in a small rural town complete with a venue for unusual Sunday meals & wines. The rotating $$$ monthly themed dinner offerings are only served once a week. Here you will find exceptional examples of commonly found wines of the area and a few surprises, as their Villard Blanc white wine. Offered was an unfiltered 2015 Norton wine aged in American oak which should age well. Though this wine can be enjoyed now, I’ve already marked on our purchased bottles ‘Open 2020/2021’. This Norton was as good as any we have found before in MO or VA. We drove out of our way to find this winery and glad that we made the effort to do so. We were impressed that our hostess/owner also tried to contact for us the owner of her recommended nearby Hickory Ridge Winery which, unfortunately, was closed at the beginning of the week.
Sharp Mountain Vineyards (written Apr 06, 2019)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
Planted in 1995 with the doors opened in 2005 to this third oldest winery in Georgia. An impressive listing of estate grown wines. I found the red wines 'thin' and left with a courtesy purchase of their table white Viognier. Was there a ten dollar tasting fee for the three items asked to try (fourth taste poured by mistake)? Double check to see the total charges given.
Layton's Chance Vineyard & Winery (written Jan 28, 2019)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
And I was wrong update, ~ *two years ago I noted that Layton's Chance Norton may not mature in bottle significantly. Oh, how I missed this badly. With a couple additional in bottle years their 2015 Norton proved to be one of the better eastern produced Norton wines. Though gentle, typical in body, color, style. / The Layton family has been farming corn, soybeans and wheat on this land for almost 100 years, but in 2007 the decision was made to add grapes (Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin & Norton) to the mix. Interestingly, the light Vidal Blanc ($20) was only slightly oaked with French 'chips'. Red blends included other Maryland grown Marquette & Cab Sauv grapes. Their Chambourcin ($20) again included French oak chips in the processing, but their Norton Reserve ($26) was uncharacteristically produced strictly in stainless steel. *With no obvious tannins in this fun to drink now tart Norton, I do not suspect age will enhance this wine over the next few years. I have a bottle set aside to see if I'll be proven incorrect. I applaud Layton's Chance Winery for setting aside two wines specifically for generously fund raising (a light rose United-Chambourcin for the United Way and a Freedom - Catawba, Chambourcin blend for the nearby Harriet Tubman Visitors Center). It will be only a few years and you may find an Eastern shore Cabernet Franc appearing on the scene. It was interesting to learn that the Norton grapes needed fungicide spraying three times a year as compared to the other grapes which needed attention every two weeks. Of course with the addition of the varietal grape, Cab Franc, this spraying could increase to every ten days. A big thank you to the personable owner/vintner, William Layton, who joined us in our visit. It will be fun seeing what directions this winery takes over the course of the near future.
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