The Cross J Vineyard
This vineyard sits atop the highest hilltop in Hermann overlooking the Missouri River. The composition of its deep loess soil (an accumulation of millennia of wind-blown dust) which is classified as Menfro Silt Loam (a type of permeable soil found almost exclusively in Missouri and makes for prime farming), makes it absolutely ideal for growing grapes while the elevation drops sharply as rocky bluffs which provide amazing air drainage. The vineyard just happens to surround the historic home of one of Missouri’s most esteemed grape growers, William and Theodora Poeschel, and they were definitely one of the earliest to make their home in the growing town of Hermann. This is now the home of the Betty Held and her late husband, James Held, the first generation of the family that currently owns the winery and is approaching their third generation of family ownership. The Cross J name is dedicated to the founder of the modern Stone Hill Winery, Jim Held.
Grandma’s Impressions
As has already been well established, my grandmother has a love for dry red wine and the Cross J Norton is nothing but a rich, bold red. She takes her time to give the wine a long time on her nose; she finds that some flavors and scents are less attainable to her as she has grown older. The Cross J has such a rich bouquet that she is pleasantly surprised at how much she actually gleans from it as it has enough character and presence that she can experience it properly. The nose is strong and oaky; she gets a touch of spice but not a lot of the fruitiness that is often present.
When she tastes this wine however, her face lights up. She avidly describes the faint herbal notes, the dark cherry and chocolate notes that she derives from even her somewhat limited palate. Her enjoyment stems mostly from the full-bodied nature of the wine and its present but well incorporated tannins that create an incredibly crisp and well-tuned experience.
My Impressions
My own experience was different from my grandmothers, stemming mostly from a palate that, while rather blunt; has the benefit of relative youth and a recent dedication to the art of tasting wine.
The nose is quite herbal and has this delightful dark fruitiness that is present throughout. There is a nice level of oakiness that stands out distinctly from the general forest like earthiness that is pervasive throughout the experience. I particularly enjoy herbal notes, the note here is almost akin to Eucalyptus or mayhap a brighter savory herb, not quite in the direction of oregano or basil (which is where my nose tends to go with grapes like Tempranillo or Chianti) but somewhat similar. The herbal note is more perfumy than I find in many other dry reds and that in itself is particularly interesting to me.
When I get around to tasting the wine, I am awash in a dark earthiness with an emphasis on a loam-like quality reminiscent of a forest floor, a character that is present in the nose for sure but is a nice point of reference to hold onto as I explore the wine further. The eucalyptus comes through much stronger here, it adds a brightness that balances out the bold, dark fruitiness and the deep, vaguely chocolate notes that are buried deep within. The flavor profile is incredibly well balanced, and I would think that this wine will age into something almost entirely different given a few years on the cork, but that is something I will have to discover in the future with the bottle I have squirreled away in my basement.
Final Thoughts
What is most interesting to me about this wine is that the Cross J Vineyard is the only one of our Vineyards that I have visited and have had a chance to look around and touch the soil, as well as being a vineyard that I have specifically tasted the grapes from after they were harvested. Being able to experience this wine, soil to glass so to speak, was an integral part of the experience for me. Our Estate Norton and our Cross J are fundamentally different in profile, though I do not find myself being able to truly pick out the differences between our Estate Norton and our Cross J as it pertains to what the soil is specifically imparting on the wine. Being able to eat the grapes and touch the soil has the benefit of at least guiding my mind towards what the Terroir (the environmental factors that affect a crop) is actually doing for the wine.
We enjoyed this wine with a really delicious steak, both of us are partial to Medium-Rare to Rare steaks and this wine complimented the juicy beef of that so incredibly well. I have never been particular to pairing food with wine, at least before working at Stone Hill, but if you ever need to have one singular experience to point to that sells the practice, Cross J with a great steak is an almost decadent experience.
You can shop Cross J, and the rest of our wines Here.
Michael Haggerty is the Shipping Coordinator at Stone Hill Winery and handles all DTC wine shipments.
You can reach him for shipping inquiries via email at shipping@stonehillwinery.com or by phone at 573-486-2221.