The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Applegate Valley

Varietal   White Blend

Retail Price   $40

ABV   12.5%

Score   4.5 Stars/94 points

In the Glass

Hazy, medium golden color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of spring flowers and passion fruit with supporting notes of orange peel, baked apple, and soursop.

The palate confirms the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of peach, kumquat, pear, and quince. The finish is long and lingering with a subtle note of tannins and tart apple peels.

Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant 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 300 cases made.

Analysis

The 2022 Troon Amber is the fourth edition of this wine that we have seen and it’s our favorite. This vintage, for the first time, Troon Amber is Vermentino forward and it really showcases the tremendous Vermentino grown at Troon Vineyard. While so many “orange” wines can seem muddy on the nose and palate this wine sings. This is a true orange wine as the grapes are farmed like red varietals and the grapes are fermented on their skins for an extended period. Since the varietals ripened at different times, each was fermented separately. Each fermentation lasted about three to four weeks followed by a soft pressing to neutral oak barrels. 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.

How to Enjoy

Serve chilled as a great aperitif or serve alongside ceviche or your favorite curry — we like a turmeric-forward yellow curry.