The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Applegate Valley

Varietal   Sparkling Blend

Retail Price   $25

ABV   10.5%

Score   4.5 Stars/95 points

In the Glass

Hazy, medium deep ruby color with light stream of fine bubbles.

The nose is moderately intense offering scents of wild raspberry, cherry, apricot and citrus zest with supporting notes of bees wax, citrus zest and hibiscus flower.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a red fruit-driven core with flavors of mulberry, orange peel, and hints of rhubarb and quince. The finish is tart with soft tannins redolent of rustic French cider.

Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant texture and pleasingly expansive palate.

Cool Factor

The Troon Piquette is just as good as ever and maybe the best yet. Since Troon's first Piquette we have seen several new entries in the category but this is the standard.

Value Grade

Scarcity (fewer than 200 cases made), superb quality, and a modest price of just $25 add up to a great value in our book.

Analysis

What is Piquette? Piquette is a French term for a style of wine that was produced in most European farm wineries for centuries. In the spirit of never letting any good material go to waste, winemakers would add water, and sometimes a bit of sugar (Troon doesn't), to pomace (grape solids left after pressing to extract the juice) to create a light and often fizzy wine. This was a drink intended for the farmhands. The Troon Piquette! is co-fermented but in stages. As the grapes come into the winery — whites and rosé intended grapes come first. The first batch of grape skins are rehydrated overnight, pressed, and then the juice is settled before racking (running juice off the solids) then off to a stainless tank at cellar temperature to slowly ferment. Days later more fruit comes into the winery and the process is repeated and added to the first, “mother,” batch that reignites the fermentation. This happens five or six times throughout harvest. The varietals used are Mourvèdre, Vermentino, Cinsault, Tannat, Roussanne, Grenache blanc, and Négrette. This is useful information but the process is the real story. The resulting wine is fun, delicious, and it disappears the moment it hits your glass.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled and enjoy as the perfect aperitif sipped alone or with country ham, olives, or cheese and bread.