On the Road, Continued with Tasting Results on Missouri Wines

Once we’d seen what remained of what was once an ocean of vines beyond what the eyes could see, we headed east to Missouri with a stop at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa and the Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri.

Every time we drive to or from Arizona or other points west, we come around a curve going into Tulsa and see the sprawling Hard Rock Casino and Hotel. Alice likes slot machines and as long as we win, I love ‘em too. Maybe it’s the Casino Gods payback for 50 years of mostly losing that over the past couple of years we’ve actually won more than we’ve lost which is so much more fun. So with overnights in Flagstaff AZ and Amarillo TX we pulled into the Casino. Though the layout for hotel guests couldn’t have been worse, the casino was fun and we had a wonderful meal at Carvers on 19 at the casino.

From there we finally got to see the Elephant Rocks. Though not in a mountainous region, it reminds us of the Pinnacles National Monument near Soledad California. Basically, it is a gigantic pile of smooth brown rocks with enough grey lichens growing on them to look like elephant skin.

The park is very nicely laid out for a pretty easy walk even on a 100 degree day with 99% humidity. Fortunately, a young entrepreneur was selling what we used to call “push pops” (a popsicle in a plastic tube) that turn your tongue red.

So when we arrived at our hotel in Washington MO it was so hot we had to haul all of our wines up to our room because even a shady parking spot was still 100 degrees. We’d never been to Missouri in the summer but had heard that with the humidity it was more uncomfortable than Arizona in June. True!

On a positive note, we finally got to see the oldest Norton vineyard in the world planted in 1847, owned by the historic Stone Hill Winery and had an opportunity to meet the refreshingly candid Nathan Held who is the great grandson of the founder. Like Cucamonga and Tehachapi, just about everywhere we went, we met either the owner, winemaker or progeny in the tasting room. Although the oldest AVA in the nation, Hermann MO still feels like the owners are mostly unpretentious regular people farming and making wine for a living. At Stone Hill, Norton is king. Not only do they still farm the aforementioned 1847 Vineyard but the Cross J vineyard and even their “regular” Norton vineyard are without peer. Great wine originates in great vineyards and nothing could be more true when you taste these wines. Unlike most well established wine regions, Missouri wine is predominantly based on Native and Hybrid grape varieties. A few wineries grow Cabernet Franc but that is not widespread. At Adam Puchta we met with Spencer Puchta who was just a small child the last time we visited. He showed us several of their award winning wines including the regions top Chambourcin. We grow this variety in Michigan too with the best coming from the very warm vineyard at the top of the Lawton Ridge near Kalamazoo. While in Missouri, we also visited several wineries in the Augusta AVA on the north side of the Missouri River between the Washington bridge and St. Louis. We started at Defiance Ridge where we enjoyed a remarkable Rayon d’Or, another variety I fondly remember from the early days of buying grapes from Lawton Ridge. At Blumenhof Winery we renewed acquaintance with one of the freshest, brightest, purest, pleasingly aromatic Valvin Muscat’s made. At Augusta Winery, we experienced wines which offered some of the best value for dollar in the region. I’m glad to see the new owners haven’t significantly changed our go-to Chambourcin. It continues to deliver fine balance, ripe Hybrid aromas and a rich soft tannic finish which is almost impossible to achieve in Michigan and not easy in Missouri. They seem to be on the right track with Cabernet Franc. Time will tell whether this becomes a feature for Missouri’s future. Finally, we met our old friend Bill Sadler who grows mostly Chambourcin for a winery we had not visited previously. We met him at Noboleis Vineyards where we tasted a wide range of white and red wines, all excellent. Our host Darryl Tyler was especially proud of a flight of Norton’s he poured which included their “regular” Norton, an unoaked Norton, a Reserve Norton, as well as a Bourbon barrel Norton. The Reserve Norton in particular, embodied what I like about Norton plus offered a finesse in the finish not usually associated with wines this young. We concluded the day by following Bill home where he and his wife MaryAnn served us a deliciously regional Missouri meal with wine from the cellar. This is a wine region steeped in tradition and overwhelmingly embraced by the state’s wine drinkers.

TASTED 9/17/2025 With our Rude Taster’s group at Pietro’s in Grand Rapids

Although several of these wines do not list an AVA other than Missouri, it is safe to say that all of the wines tasted tonight were grown in Hermann or Augusta. I am pretty sure that none are from the larger, all encompassing Ozark Mountain AVA, Ozark Highlands AVA or Arkansas Highlands AVA further south. Ironically, tiny Augusta AVA which is the first and oldest AVA in the United States, is not part of Ozark Mountain AVA. All other wine regions of Missouri and Arkansas are part of the Ozark Mountain AVA.

WARM UP WINES

2023 Nobleis Vineyards Dry Rosé MO (13.1% abv) $21 located in Augusta comes across with big, fresh, vigorous dry textured mouth feel. Will pair well with a wide variety of foods. My score 16/20 Stone Hill Winery Dry Rosé MO (12% abv) $13 located in Hermann is much fruitier with an especially emphatic terpene loaded aroma. Though very very fruity, it balances native essence with vinuous character creating a very easy to like “happy” wine. My score 16+/20

FIRST FLIGHT MOSTLY CHAMBOURCIN

2019 Stone Hill Winery Chambourcin MO (13.5% abv) $20 located in Hermann was a great way to start off this tasting. Not meek or subtle, this is MASSIVE! So muscular and full of every smell and taste associated with Missouri Chambroucin. The wine is so completely balanced that it is hard to say if the powerfully smoky ripe black fruit richness was created in the winery or the vineyard. A masterpiece! My score 20/20, group score 15.6 third place 2020 Augusta Winery Augusta Estate Chambourcin MO (13% abv) $20 located in Augusta couldn’t have been a better follow up to the Stone Hill. For whatever the Stone Hill overshadowed it in size, the Augusta made up in class and depth. The rich fruit is ever present yet somehow this huge wine is not big or heavy but pulls you into a deep flavorful experience. My score 20/20, group score 14.3 sixth place 2022 Defiance Ridge Callaway Crest Farm Red Blend (60% Norton/40% Chambrourcin) MO $36 located in Defiance MO near Augusta shows the Norton loud and clear with a big Native punch, powerful fruit and plenty of spice in the long finish. I believe that had this wine been in the second flight, it would have scored much higher. My score 13/20, group score 15.1 fifth place 2023 Adam Puchta Chambourcin MO (13.4% abv) located in Hermann shows exactly what a Governor’s Cup wine should exhibit. It opens quite softly but builds pristine clean fresh pure red fruit as it builds to a lovely, long, elegant raspberry-like finish. It is flawless and reminds me of the 1996 Michigan Vintner LMS Chambroucin which took best of show at the Michigan State Fair judging. My score 17/20, group score 14.1 seventh place

SECOND FLIGHT ALL NORTON

2020 Augusta Winery Augusta Estate Norton MO (13% abv) $27 located in Augusta makes a huge transition from the flight of Chambourcin. Though rather chunky and “bull in a china shop-like” by comparison, it is nonetheless fine, soft and feels light on the palate and in the finish. The finish shows a delightfully fresh nuance of candied citrus peel. My score 15/20, group score 16.3 first place 2021 Nobleis Vineyard Augusta Owner’s Reserve Norton MO (12% abv) $49 located in Augusta starts out with an odd nose with emerging volatile acidity. The palate is tired too though if does finish clean. This is not the wine I remember tasting at the winery. Though all of these wines endured a 700 mile ride in the trunk of my car, this one really shows it. My score 13/20, group score 12.8 eighth (last) place 2020 Stone Hill Winery Cross J Vineyard Hermann Estate Norton MO (12.5% abv) $40 comes across with more of a plump ripe lush demeanor much like Lodi Zin. If has remarkably good texture embodying plenty of fruit in a very civilized manner. The finish is solid and begs another sip. My score 17/20, group score 15.4 fourth place 2021 Adam Puchta Hermann Estate Norton MO (12.6% abv) $25 located in Hermann is showing me a consistent thread of class and elegance across varietals at Adam Puchta. It finely balances plenty of depth and ripe fruit with complexity and purity. Though soft, it lingers for several seconds. My score 19/20, group score 15.8 second place

AFTERMATH

2024 Blumenhof Valvin Muscat MO located in Dutzow MO near Augusta is the epitome of fresh. The liveliness is just brilliant. The emphatic aroma takes nothing away from purity, clarity and fresher than fresh zippy mouth feel. My score 17+/20 2014 Augusta Winery Augusta Estate Chambourcin MO located in Augusta was just stunning! After all these wines it is remarkable that this one just stood out. It may be the most complete wine I’ve had this year with everything you’d expect from a great wine from a great region. Tobacco, cedar, cassis, you name it, everything you’d want is here. My score 20/20, couldn’t be better! 2006 Stone Hill Winery Hermann Estate Norton MO (13.8%) located in Hermann is a library selection from the owners personal cellar. Words hardly describe the massive ripe yet purer than pure fruit, the big multi layered complexity expands with every sip commanding another sip that proves more drinkable than that which preceded it. This is wine heaven! My score 20/20

MY THOUGHTS

Obviously, I like wines with a great deal of character that show terroir and fruit purity and my relatively high scores show that Missouri Chambourcin and Norton deliver that. Even though the group scores were considerably lower keep in mind that they are an “average” of everyone’s score. And, what do you get when you average the scores? You get average scores. Talking to the attendees after the tasting, it was clear that without exception everyone enjoyed the wines some absolutely loved the wines. It is totally remarkable that this very long standing wine region has not only survived but succeeded using only hybrid and native grapes. In today’s globalism and the need to cater to the mass market taste, Missouri wine is a glimmering star of individualism embracing what is fine, pure, honest and not chasing a fad.

Enjoy in Good Health,

A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner