I first met the Laynes shortly after I started at Troon in 2004. I remember the day I first visited the vineyard, which sat at the end of a long driveway, following the Caris Creek draw back into the hills above the Valley. Like many sites in the Applegate, you would never know that the vineyard existed, and yet, there it was, 35 acres of old vines, some of the very first planted in Southern Oregon.
Roger and Barrie Layne moved to the Applegate from California in the early 1970’s. Barrie hailed from Napa, but her family owned a dairy there, not grapevines. However, on their first visit to the Applegate, they met Dick Troon, who, in 1972, had already planted 10 acres of grapevines. They decided to follow suit, and planted some of their own the following year, including Southern Oregon’s first Merlot vines.
The nose strikes you first with a candied lemon peel, revealing next baking spice notes with subtle coconut aromas. The palate reveals ripe pear and peony flowers, with a creamy texture like toasted meringue that coats the mouth.
This wine is bottled in the Revino reusable bottle, which can be returned to participating collection sites for later reuse.
