Nirvana: Bodega Norton's premium wines

Perhaps Bodega Norton is one of the most popular Argentine wine brands in the Americas. It certainly is a brand that I have encountered frequently in North, Central, and South America. During Spaswinefood's recent visit to Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza we visited Bodega Norton. Since we are quite familiar with their wines our visit to Bodega Norton was the perfect opportunity to taste some of their premium wines.

Ready to Taste Bodega Norton Wines © Spaswinefood

Bodega Norton was the first winery opened south of the Mendoza River. It was founded in 1895 by Sir Edmund James Palmer Norton, an English engineer. The first vines planted by Norton were imported from France. Although the winery today still bears Norton's name it was purchased in 1989 by Gernot Langes-Swarovski, an Austrian businessman. Over a century ago Gernot's great-grandfather Daniel founded Swarovski, a company known worldwide for its cut crystal. Today Bodega Norton is managed by Gernot Langes-Swarovski's son, Michael.

Bodega Norton Wines
Norton's wines are internationally known for their overall good quality and price. Amongst the grape varieties grown, the red varieties include Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Barbera, Sangiovese, Syrah and Pinot Noir; its white grape varieties include Torrontés, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chenin Blanc and Reisling.

Bodega Norton's Slogan © Spaswinefood

The slogan (we recognize ourselves as part of nature) on the tasting mat recognizes the importance of sustainability and social responsibility. This is certainly an overall view that we should bring to wine making.

Our wine tasting began with a Gernot Langes 2010.

Bodega Norton, Gernot Langes 2010 

Bodega Norton, Gernot Langes 2010 © Spaswinefood

Bodega Norton, Gernot Langes 2010 (Back Label) © Spaswinefood

When you begin a wine tasting with a Gernot Langes 2010 you know that you are about to experience a very special wine tasting. Named after its owner this Bordeaux style red wine blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc is amazing.

Next, we tasted Malbec 2012 wines produced from parcels within three different single vineyards.

Bodega Norton, Malbec Lotes A-112, L-112 and LC-112, 2012

Bodega Norton, Malbec Lotes A-112, L-112 and LC-112 2012 © Spaswinefood

Yes, these are very special Malbec wines. These are the Mendoza Malbec wines that make this area so special.

Bodega Norton, Malbec Luján de Cuyo Lote A-112, 2012

Bodega Norton, Malbec Luján de Cuyo Lote A-112, 2012 © Spaswinefood

Yes, I did take the time to enjoy those very special Malbec wines.

Gernot Langes 2010, Malbec Lotes A-112, L-112 and LC-112 2012 © Spaswinefood

After tasting these four amazing red wines next we tasted a Privada, a Bordeaux style red wine blend.

Bodega Norton, Privada Malbec 2010

Bodega Norton, Privada Malbec 2010 © Spaswinefood

Absolutely a great red wine blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

After we finished this off the charts wine tasting we concluded with a sparkling wine. There is no perfect way to finish such a wine tasting. Obviously our wine tasting was to meet Spaswinefood's needs for this visit. Bodega Norton does produce many other good wines. 

Bodega Norton, Cosecha Especial Brut Nature NV

Bodega Norton, Cosecha Especial Brut Nature NV © Spaswinefood

 Cosecha Especial Brut Nature NV © Spaswinefood

The sparkling wine bottle is embossed with the Norton symbol.

Bodega Norton's Embossed Symbol © Spaswinefood

When we left Bodega Norton that day we purchased some red wines to enjoy during our Argentine stay. As I was researching for this article, I searched for reviews on the Norton wines we tasted. I can honestly say I did not need any critic to tell me that these are great wines.

Wine Tasting, Bodega Norton © Spaswinefood

Wine and Crystal
The connection with Swarovki crystal is obvious by the displays in the tasting room. There was a Gernot Langes 2012 on display. A wine with the proprietor's name on the bottle. While we did not taste 2012 if it is anything like the 2010 it must be good.

Bodega Norton, Gernot Langes 2012  © Spaswinefood

Wine and Crystal, Bodega Norton © Spaswinefood

For sure the future of wine and crystal is certainly well connected at Bodega Norton.

Crystal, Bodega Norton © Spaswinefood

Bodega Norton, Gernot Langes © Spaswinefood

Visitors to Bodega Norton might want to visit their La Vid Restaurant. They also offer a tour of the winery and vineyards. Their vineyards consist of 1200 hectares, with 680 under vine. They have taken a vineyards inside the vineyard approach to grape growing. This approach is to divide the vineyard into small parcels, which allows focusing on the specific growing needs within the parcels. From the estate vineyard at Bodega Norton there are views of the Andes Mountains. I often like taking in the views; however, our Bodega Norton visit was purely for tasting their premium wines.

Luján de Cuyo's Bodega Norton is situated in the eastern foothills of the Andes. The drive from Mendoza city to Luján de Cuyo's wine region takes about 40 minutes. For sure a week is not enough time to tour Mendoza's wine regions. Mendoza’s over 1,500 wineries has vineyards that are amongst the highest altitude vineyards in the world, averaging between 600-1,100 meters (2,00-3,600 feet) above sea level. The three wine regions nearest the city of Mendoza include Valle de Uco, Luyán de Cuyo, and Maipu. Fortunately we were able to visit Luján de Cuyo a number of times to gain a better overview of some of smaller and larger wineries within the region. Bodega Norton is one of the well-known and larger wineries that we visited. I invite you to join me in my travels in Argentina and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

February 2017

Mendoza, Argentina

© Spaswinefood

Bodega Norton Since 1895 © Spaswinefood


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