Troon is in the southern Oregon Applegate Valley AVA. Troon is making wines from some non-traditional grapes, including this blend of Malbec and Tannat. Malbec is the grape that made the famous Black Wine of Cahors, a rich dark tannic grape. It is also one of the six grapes allowed in Bordeaux wine. But today it is best known from Argentina, where it has been made into world-class wines. Tannat, too, is a French wine which has found a second home in South America, this time Uruguay, where it is at the forefront of that nation’s burgeoning wine industry.
Troon has taken those grapes and made a marvelous wine. Dark, deep, and delicious, Troon’s M*T has black fruit, leafy herbs, and black pepper notes on the nose. It is dark, tannic, and very young on the palate, with tremendous power and freshness. Blackberries, a blend of deeply ripe and barely ripe, offer both rich fruit and a bright zing. A hint of tar, some leafy herbs, and a meaty umami all come through on the mid-palate and flow, with the fruit, through the finish. This is good wine, interesting, complex, mouth-filling, and flowing smoothly from first sip to finish. Drink with the crips, fatty end from a slow-roasted prime rib. Highly Recommended – 91 points. DBH
(Note- image from a previous vintage.)
WHO: Troon Vineyard
WHERE: Applegate Valley, Oregon
WHAT: Malbec, Tannat
HOW MUCH: $50 (media sample)