Over two centuries ago, a small Richmond garden sprouted what would change the American wine scene forever.

Developed by local physician Dr. Daniel Norton in the 1820s, the tiny Norton grape is the country’s oldest native wine variety. While it has endured several challenges over the years, the grape is enjoying a revival in its home of Virginia thanks to places like Horton Vineyards.

Situated in Gordonsville, Horton Vineyards is credited with restoring the historic cultivar in the commonwealth.

“Out of 10 acres we have of Norton, seven of them have the original Norton [clippings] from Dr. Daniel Norton from Stone Hill [Winery],” says third-generation winemaker Caitlin Horton.

The winery is situated in Hermann, Missouri, a town where German immigrants heavily planted Norton around the 1840s in an attempt to build a strong winemaking region.

Horton’s grandparents, originally from Hermann, gathered Norton cuttings before moving to the commonwealth and establishing the vineyard in 1989. The clippings were planted in 1991 and they got their first single varietal about two years later. Today, the vineyard harvests over 60 tons of Norton annually to make everything from a superior barrel select to vintage port.

But Horton Vineyards isn’t the only one on a mission to spread the wonders of this fruit. Over in Goochland, Elk Island Winery cares for about 350 Norton vines—a variety they specialize in as it was the first grape they ever planted.

Since 2012, they’ve offered an array of Norton wines, including Norton, Naked Norton and Portamento PR (a Norton and Petit Verdot red dessert wine mixture).

“I … keep the maceration time (on the skins) shorter than for most of my other reds to keep the fruity character high and to not introduce harsh elements,” says owner Paul Klinefelter regarding his creation process for Norton wines. “I also keep the oak influence on the lighter side.”

Klinefelter’s fascination with the grape goes back to the ‘90s after reading a Richmond Times-Dispatch article about it.

“I was still in the irrigation industry back then, not farming, but I was an avid landscaper and so it somehow stuck in my mind, the novelty of it,” he says. “Once I did start farming and was ready to plant my first grapes in 2007, I knew it had to be Norton.”

“If you want a totally different taste sensation from a red wine, you need to try it,” says Klinefelter.

Norton’s namesake, Dr. Daniel Norton, had long been obsessed with developing a disease-resistant grape to boost the American wine industry. One day, he discovered the vine growing on his Magnolia Estate (situated near where Richmond’s Carver neighborhood now lies) and decided to take a chance with it.

What resulted was the iconic Norton—a tiny yet extremely vibrant blackish-purple grape. “A cluster is about the size of a fist, so it can be low on weight because it is so small,” says Horton.

While the grape’s ancestry is a bit murky, it’s believed to be an American and European hybrid with one parent likely being the native fox grape which grows wild in the eastern U.S.

The public was officially introduced to Norton about two decades later and it quickly gained attention. The wine was designated the “best red wine of all nations” at the 1873 Universal Exhibition in Vienna, Austria; President Ulysses S. Grant adored the wine and it’s believed he kept bottles in the White House cellar.

When Prohibition hit, most Norton vines were destroyed apart from the few secretly maintained, especially in Missouri, where it was designated the state grape in 2003.

Apart from Norton’s curious backstory, many winemakers like the variety because it’s disease-resistant and easy to care for, although there are a few quirks, including trellising preferences. Norton doesn’t like being woven upward with the traditional Lyre system so the Geneva Double Curtain method is used which encourages the canes to drape. The plant is also heavily sensitive to copper and sulfur so fertilizer needs to be carefully applied.

While Norton is distinct in many ways, its flavor evolution is perhaps most remarkable. “I grew up with Norton and having older Nortons to taste,” says Horton. “Not everyone who makes Norton has older vintages they can turn to. It’s really cool watching what this grape turns into as it gets older.”

Newer Nortons often have earthy, plum and leather notes before aging into chocolate bliss.

“It’s a beautiful, rich dark chocolate,” says Horton. “[The flavor] is like a chocolate mousse or flourless chocolate cake—very decadent with a little more cherry on older Norton.” The wine often pairs well with smokey, gamey meat and acidic dishes, especially those featuring tomatoes, like lasagna.

Virginia has slowly been reclaiming its native grape. The Virginia Norton Network launched the first ever Norton wine tour last October to spread awareness and highlight commonwealth growers and winemakers, including Horton Vineyards. For the past three years, Omni Homestead has hosted the Norton Cup Challenge to crown the best Virginia Norton wines.

Appreciation is growing, but obstacles remain. Norton wine is still somewhat widely unknown and its taste can be a hit or a miss at times depending on how it’s produced. But even if one is hesitant, it doesn’t hurt to introduce one’s palate to new adventures.

“If you want a totally different taste sensation from a red wine, you need to try it,” says Klinefelter. “[Norton] does not taste like the traditional vinifera reds … at all. It has a unique flavor profile of its own, unlike anything else.”