Troon continues to excel with their Southern Oregon wines

I’ve been a huge fan of Oregon’s Troon for about a decade now. And they’ve been such an exciting producer to watch, sourcing a wide array of grapes from unique terroirs in Oregon’s Applegate Valley, hard-crafting wines of diverse styles. They’re not afraid to experiment by any means, but it seems their experiments are so well thought out, and they tend to work.

For as long as I’ve followed this producer, it’s impressed me how they continue to craft terroir-driven, interesting, delicious wines at such good prices. This producer has long been practicing biodynamic practices, and has seems truly dedicated to sustainable practices and promoting responsible winegrowing.

I recently tasted four of their new releases, wines that remind me why I got excited about this producer in the first place. The grapes are grown in the Kubli Bench formation of Southern Oregon, which creates an incredible mix of granitic and riverbed soils with plenty of sunshine and large diurnal temperature swings. 

They have a great blog, lots of interesting videos, and other information on their website. From my perspective, from farming to label design, they are obsessed with making attractive wines and promoting their region. And I think that’s great. Troon really works to get their message, beliefs, and, most importantly, their wines out there.

This week, I have four of their new releases. It’s spooky season, a great time for orange wine. And their Amber is a cool introduction to this style.

Troon really has their Vermentino program dialed in, as they make a skin contact, a sparkling, and a wine aged on the lees. I think they’re one of the best doing it in the U.S., to be honest. In a blind tasting of wines from Sardinia, for example, a Troon wine would be an excellent ringer.

Troon’s rosé is an absurd value, and an easy half-case buy if you’re looking for a pink you could drink all year long, and age a few. Lastly, a peppery, incense and violet-infused Syrah really delivers.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted.

2022 Troon Vineyard Vermentino - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $30
Pale lemon color. The nose is bright and salty with tropical flowers and spritely tones; the fruit is lemon and kiwi and orange peel, mixed with honey, sea salt, almond skin, and white flowers. On the palate, this is taut and energetic with a floral, bright, oceanic appeal. Notes of kumquat, lime, orange peel – the fruit blends well with elements of minerals, chalk dust, sea salt, celery seed. I get nuances of white and yellow flowers, along with notes of honey and peanut skin. Complex, vibrant, this would be amazing with oysters. A lot going on here, and Troon really has such expressive Vermentino. An absurd value, and worth seeking out. (93 points)

2022 Troon Vineyard Kubli Bench Amber - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $35
Rich, deep yellow/amber color. The nose is so vibrant and expressive with ripe peach and yellow apple, mixed with orange peel, kiwi, and plenty of floral perfume, honeysuckle, and cool tones of candle wax and mint. The palate sports a delightfully waxy texture, crisp acidity, and a salty-briny appeal, with plenty of peach fruit, orange peel, watermelon rind, pineapple – love it. Nuances abound in terms of sea salt, white pepper, sliced cucumber, yellow flowers. Delicious, and I know orange wines are generally consumed young, but this has some interesting aging potential, I think. Vermentino, Viognier, and Roussanne, made in a skin-contact style with 30% whole cluster fermentation in neutral oak. (92 points)

2022 Troon Vineyard Kubli Bench Rosé - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley

SRP: $25
Light peach color. So spicy, floral, and fresh on the nose, with a burst of white peach, kiwi, crunchy green apples, along with cucumber slices, white pepper, all sorts of basil and nettle nuances. The palate sports a gorgeous mouthfeel, deep texture, and racy acidity. Super fun and fresh with flavors of limes, white cherries, yellow pears, and the fruit is mixed wonderfully with notes of rose hips, basil, honeysuckle, all sorts of airy, spring meadow vibes. There’s a deep essence of limestone, river rocks, and minerals throughout. A year round rose that has a lot of depth and complexity. A blend of Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise, Carignan, and Negrette. (92 points)

2021 Troon Vineyard Syrah Estate - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Applegate Valley
SRP: $35
Dark ruby color. Wow, the nose pops with pretty blueberries, tangy black cherries, currant compote, along with enticing amounts of black pepper, clove, violet petals, spicy red pepper, and some tilled soil. Delightful to sniff. Zippy acidity frames this wine well, while the tannins provide a dusty but wonderfully chewy feel, with flavors of plums and tangy blueberries and black cherries. There are a lot of spicy nuances in here to parse through: paprika, black pepper, spicy pepperoni, barbecue sauce, charcoal. I also get notes of violets and minerals. A lot going on here; it’s fun young but would also be interesting with a few years of age on it. (92 points)