Troon Vineyard‘s 2017 Cuvée Pyrénées red blend is a homage to the Pyrénées Mountains range separating Spain from France. Pyrénées is where the Tannat and Malbec grapes first gained the notoriety for great wines. Guess what grapes Cuvée Pyrénées made off.
In the Bottle of 2017 Troon Cuvée Pyrénées
2017 Troon Cuvée Pyrénées is 53% Tannat and 47% Malbec. Both organically grown grapes thrive in the granitic soils of the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon. While Tannat is famed for its tannic character in its French home of Madiran, in the Applegate Valley, it results in a wine with a less pronounced and softer tannin.
The grapes from the estate Kubli Bench vineyard produce a bright fruit-forward style Malbec reminiscent of the French Cahors region.
On the contrary to the common practice of varietal fermentation, Troon winemaker co-ferments these two varieties together instead of blending them afterward.
So what did we taste in the glass?
In the Glass
Both varietals compliment each other in Cuvée Pyrénées. Tannat conributes to the structure with sensible tannin and Malbec adds fruit and acidity.
The aroma is a tapdance between black cherry jam and fresh smashed red cherry. The jammy note continues with blackberry, plum, and cherry on the palate.
Aftertaste
2017 Cuvée Pyrénées is what it aims to be – a homage to Tannat and Malbec of Pyrénées. While we could sense some of the characteristics of both grapes, co-fermentation melts them together to create a well-structured wine with a fruit-forward character.
It’s a fun wine to taste if you like Malbec, Tannat, or both.
Please share your favorite Tannat and Malbec in the comments and let us know what you think of this blend.