Norton Privada Family Blend 2023
Excellent aromatic complexity with notes of ripe fruit, spices, and hints of smoke and coffee. Rich and generous on the palate with superb concentration.
Originally reserved for the family’s private cellar, this exclusive high-end blend is a result of a request by the Swarovski family to create the best wine to enjoy among their friends. Its grapes come from the winery's oldest vineyards, between 50 and 90 years old, growing at up to 1100 metres above sea level in Lujan de Cuyo. Grapes are hand picked and selected into 20kg baskets. A truly unique wine, it is a special selection of the best barrels of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which results in a harmonious, complex and elegant blend.
The must was given five days’ cold maceration at 8-10ºC, then fermented with selected yeasts for seven days at 28ºC. The wine spent 25-30 days on skins before racking to French oak barrels (twenty percent new wood) for sixteen months’ ageing. It spent a further year in bottle before release.
“Concentrated dark fruit and chocolate mousse flavors are framed by firm tannins and acidity in this inky, muscular style. Sanguine notes fill the finish, complemented by plenty of dried beef and savory accents.” – 91 points, Wine Spectator, October 2019
| RRP | £27.75 |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14.5% |
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Mendoza |
| Subregion | Luján de Cuyo |
| Grapes | Malbec 40%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30% |
| Body | E |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
In 1885, the Buenos Aires to Mendoza railway opened, cementing the significance of this emerging wine-growing region high in the Andean foothills. One visitor to Mendoza, an English engineer called Edmund Norton, was so struck by the beauty and potential he saw there that he established a winery bearing his name, and in 1895 planted the first vines in Mendoza’s Luján de Cuyo district.
Almost a century later, Gernot Langes-Swarovski was similarly struck by Mendoza and its vineyards; in 1989, he acquired Bodega Norton and set about transforming it into the world-renowned winery it is today. Both men rightly recognized the special nature of the area. At 900-1100 metres, the altitude moderates the temperature while exposing the vines to more ultraviolet light. The result is whites packed with vibrant flavour and good natural acidity, and well-structured, food-friendly reds.
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