Today—March 18th—marks the debut of Le Carénage, a California-based wine project spearheaded by award-winning MLB pitcher, Marcus Stroman. After making his Major League debut and taking MLB by storm back in 2014, Marcus quickly fell down the wine rabbit hole thanks to his generous veteran teammates who would regularly bring captivating bottles of wine into the clubhouse to share. This season Stroman joins the New York Yankees for the first of a two year contract, signed in January 2024.

Le Carénage’s inaugural wines include a Provence-inspired rosé, a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, and a classic Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Click here to acquire Le Carénage inaugural release wines by joining the mailing list

Courtesy of La Carénage

View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article

Le Carénage Rosé is inspired by the great pink-hued wines of Provence. Crafted from a blend of 51% Cinsault and 49% Mourvèdre, fruit for this refreshing, acid-forward wine hails from responsibly-farmed vineyards planted in Lodi. At just 12.9% ABV, the wine’s light-on-its-feet nature makes it ideal for sipping all day long. 490 cases were produced.

Le Carénage Sauvignon Blanc hails primarily from Napa County, with a hint of Sémillon thrown in for good measure. At 12.1% ABV, the wine is easily enjoyable with or without food, though its pronounced acidity is undoubtedly a perfect match for freshly shucked oysters and pungent goat cheeses. 120 cases were produced.

The Le Carénage Knight’s Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the first of three single-vineyard Cabernet bottlings to be released, and shows the best of what Sonoma County has to offer. Packing all the dark-fruited and cassis notes, while staying light, nimble and ready to enjoy with minimal aging. At 12.9% ABV, this wine represents a balanced, fresh and classic Cabernet that harkens back to how wine was made in Napa and Sonoma back in the heyday heralded vintages of the ‘70s and ‘80s. 580 cases were produced.

Future plans will bring two additional Cabernet Sauvignons to the line-up: the two single-vineyard Napa Cabernets will serve as the project’s higher-end Reserve bottlings, produced from Glass Rock Vineyard in the Coombsville AVA and a prestigious site in the heart of Oakville.

Matt Naumann, owner of Newfound Wines and previously the winemaker for Wade Cellars, is the proud hands behind the bottles at Le Carénage. Naumann’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in working with the best vineyards possible and allowing the fruit to speak for itself.

Click here to acquire Le Carénage wines by joining the mailing list

Marcus is a native of New York who didn’t discover his love for wine until later in life. He went to Duke University and was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2012 draft. Marcus began his professional career in 2014 and since then has played in both New York for the Mets and Chicago for the Cubs. This season he will be returning to his hometown, having signed a multi-year contract with the New York Yankees. He discovered his passion for wine after sharing many bottles with his fellow teammates, falling in love not just with the drink itself, but also the camaraderie and joy it brought to their gatherings.

Marcus started making regular visits to wine regions from his Florida offseason base in 2015, frequently jetting off to the West Coast. His appreciation for Napa Cabernet evolved into a love for the great wines from Old World locations like Bordeaux, Barolo, and Tuscany. As his passion for wine grew, Marcus set out on a mission to make wine more down-to-earth and easy to access, all without reducing the quality in any way.

A special thank you to Marcus for taking the time from his jam-packed Spring Training schedule to record video responses to my interview questions.