Winemaker Notes from Nate Wall

Just in time for the 2022 harvest, Troon Vineyard acquired two “XL” amphorae - almost twice the size of the other amphorae in our cellar. We thought that mourvèdre would be a great match to the earthenware terra cotta vessels, but in 2022 we only had enough mourvèdre to fill one of the amphora and about 2/3rds of the other one. The remainder of the partial amphora was topped with grenache. Thus the 22 Amphora Mourvèdre is 75% mourvèdre (with 35% whole cluster) and 25% grenache(with 30% whole cluster).

Mourvèdre is commonly described as having brambly dark fruit, and then a distinct “sauvage” quality, meaning a heavy dose of earthiness/mushroom/forest floor, often some pleasant herbaceousness and then a sometimes gamy or meaty savoriness. Including so much grenache in this blend ramps up the fruitiness aspect, as grenache is generally very red-fruited / berry. Beyond adding in some spice, texture and herbaceousness, the whole cluster fermentation also leads to a bit of semi-carbonic maceration, which further highlights the fresh fruit from both grape varieties. Lastly, the vessels themselves - terra cotta amphorae do not add or mask any flavors while supporting a richness and texture, especially across the mid-palate, leading to a very transparent, natural expression in the wine.

In terms of harvest - the mourvèdre was harvested on October 7, 2022 and the grenache was harvested on October 17, 2022. Both were fermented separately outdoors in open-top fermenters. As with all wines at Troon, no additives, acid or sugar adjustments, enzymes, or sulfur additions were used at crush. The finished wines were pressed, settled, and then transferred into the XL amphorae for aging. After about ten months of aging in amphorae, the wine was racked to tank where a small amount of sulfur was added before bottling.