Troon Vineyard 2019 Vermentino Amphora Amber: First opened, the wine smells of tangerine peel or orange zest and Marcona almonds. As it opens up, it expands into aromas of passion fruit green tea and star anise. The complexity is very compelling. However, don't open it with expectations of immediate pleasure.
Read MoreI especially enjoy tasting Georgian qvevri wines as they have so many layers to unfold. They always deserve a few hours of observation, unlike - as they would say in Georgia - European-style wines.
Read MoreLast year I tasted through a shipment of very fun Bulgarian wines in New York City that partially substituted for a trip I was to take there for a third time. Time flies, and again, I’ve had the pleasure of doing a similar round of wines in my office. Moreover, I had the chance to taste again the Bratanov Tamianka 2015, which is too delightful to resist yet has several years of staying power left.
Read MoreSince I last tasted Troon wines, in Southern Oregon in July 2013, the winemaker and winemaking approach have changed. They were pleasant before, so I was curious to see what I would fine in the wines post-makeover. I'm happy to report that this Southern Oregon pioneer continues to push boundaries in the right direction.
Read MoreBriefly, for the uninitiated: “orange” wines are made from white grape varieties. Rather than discard the skins once the juice is pressed from the grapes, the skins and juice remain together during the fermentation and aging processes. This contributes the orange color to the wines, along with tannins and denser texture, the latter two characteristics more akin to red rather than white wine.
Read More