The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Applegate Valley

Varietal   White Blend

Retail Price   $35

ABV   13.1%

Score   4.5 Stars/94 points

In the Glass

Hazy, medium golden color.

The nose is moderately intense offering scents of lychee and quince with supporting notes of orange peel, lemon curd, and peach.

The palate confirms the nose delivering a tropical fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, apricot, tropical fruit, slate, and citrus zest. The finish is long and lingering with accents of tart pineapple emerging.

Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant, yet rich texture.

Cool Factor

A blended orange wine may not be on your shopping list — we get it, most orange wines are simply a novelty act. The Troon orange wines have been a brilliant taste of what this category can offer.

Value Grade

The lovely Troon Amber is a bargain in our estimation delivering complex flavors with scant few bottles — just 250 cases made.

Analysis

Troon Amber is made with a unique blend of 64% Riesling, 27% Vermentino, and 9% Viognier. This is Troon’s second vintage of their Kubli Bench Amber — last year’s vintage comprised 10% more Riesling. Note that 2021 will be the last vintage of this wine that included Riesling. That vineyard block is being replanted — perhaps with Grenache Blanc (a great choice in our estimation). This is a true orange wine as the grapes are farmed like red varietals and the grapes are fermented on their skins for three weeks. The wine is then aged on its lees for five months in neutral French oak casks. We find this wine to be a strong step forward from last year’s very tasty Amber. The Troon Amber is part of their Kubli Bench Series of estate wines. These unique blends will include Rouge, Blanc, Rosé, and the Amber that is featured here. There is an interesting evolution in winemaking at Troon happening right in front of our eyes and grateful palates.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled as a great aperitif or serve alongside ceviche, escabeche, or a your favorite curry.