Troon Vineyard Druid’s Wines: Committed to the Environment, Delicious!
Troon Vineyard – Leaders in Regenerative Organic Certification
Over the past several years, the team at Troon has transformed Troon Vineyard into a world-leading demonstration of real sustainability in the 21st century. Certified organic, Demeter certified biodynamic, and Regenerative Organic Gold Certified, they are showing that farming can improve the soil, protect animals and support workers, all while producing delicious wines. Troon’s website includes information on all these projects, see additional links at the bottom of this post. Today, I’m highlighting a set of Troon’s affordable wines for everyday enjoyment.
Troon’s Druid Wines
Many wineries have a set of everyday wines; Troon Vineyard has had a set of wines with the Druid title for many years. The difference with today’s Druid wines is that they are all 100% estate grown and produced to the same rigorous set of standards as their entire lineup. All three wines are blends of grapes; the particular blend varies according to the conditions in the vintage. Scanning the QR code on the back label (try it on the photo above) yields all the details one might want, much too much to squeeze onto a traditional back label! Troon’s Druid wines are designed for immediate enjoyment and attractively priced at $25 per bottle.
Disclosure: I received the three Troon Druid wines as samples. No other compensation was involved, all opinions expressed are my own.
Druid Wines at the Dinner Table
We enjoyed each of the Troon Druid wines at dinner over the summer. We served the Troon Druid’s White with pan-fried walleye and a quinoa tabbouleh salad. We paired the rosé with a vegetarian enchilada. The Druid’s red paired nicely with a steak topped cowboy caviar salad with a bold garlic-cilantro dressing. All three Druid’s wines feature lively acidity and bright flavors; perfectly suited for the dinner table.
Troon Vineyard Druid’s White Applegate Valley 2022 (sample, $25 winery direct) 12.5% abv
Druid’s White is composed of a variety of southern French varieties (“Rhone”) including marsanne, roussanne, viognier, grenache blanc and several others. The 2022 blend is mainly vermentino and marsanne with lesser amounts of other grapes.
Eye: Pale gold
Nose: Medium plus intensity aromas of ripe pear, yellow apple, apricot, cream, straw
Mouth: Dry, tangy high acidity, medium plus body with rich texture, medium alcohol, medium plus intensity flavors, medium plus finish. Flavors highlight the pears, apricot with additional lemon.
Observations: Druid’s white has a nice medium plus body with vibrant acidity. It has the body and texture to stand up to rich food flavors.
Troon Vineyard Druid’s Pink Applegate Valley Rosé 2023 (sample, $25 winery direct) 12.5% abv
62% Mourvedre, 18% Grenache, 8% Cinsault, 7% Carignan, 5% Counise
Eye: Medium pink-orange
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of just ripe cranberries, watermelon rind, touch of quinine, hint of wild herbs.
Mouth: Dry, refreshing tart high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium plus flavor intensity, medium plus finish. Flavors follow the aromas with tart fruits and an attractive hint of bitter.
Observations: Lean and refreshing, there is an attractive hint of bitterness in the finish.
Troon Vineyard Druid’s Red Applegate Valley 2022 (sample, $25 winery direct) 12.5% abv
As the other Druid’s wines, the Druid’s Red is a blend of different estate grown grape varieties traditionally from the south of France. It is a “GSM” styled blend, short for Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre though much wider selection of grapes is possible. The exact blend varies intended to show the vintage at Troon.
Eye: Medium ruby
Nose: Medium plus aromas of fresh ripe blueberries, blackberries, black plums, blueberry candy, dried thyme, black pepper
Mouth: Dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus sandy tannins, medium body, medium alcohol, medium plus finish. Flavors follow the nose, dominated by fresh blueberry, thyme and a touch of black pepper.
Observations: Very nice medium weight red wine with lively acidity and plenty of fruit. With lower tannins and alcohol, this wine can even take a bit of a chill, perfect for summer.
More on Biodynamics and Regenerative Organic at Troon Vineyard
Here are some additional references for biodynamics and regenerative organic work at Troon Vineyard:
