New York Native Drops Wine Label Ahead of First Season Pitching for New York Yankees

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.

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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 New York native whose passion for wine arrived later in life. While studying at Duke University, Marcus was drafted in 2012 by the Toronto Blue Jays and made his professional debut in 2014. Since then, his career since then have taken him to his native New York with the Mets and Chicago with the Cubs. This season Marcus returns to his hometown after signing a mutli-year contract with the New York Yankees. After falling in love with wine during years spent sharing bottles with his teammates, Marcus became equally captivated with the culture, bonding, and convivial nature that wine brought to the table.

By 2015, Marcus started regularly visiting wine regions from his offseason base in Florida —which meant making frequent jaunts out to the West Coast. His love for Napa Cabernet evolved into a passion for Old World regions, specifically the great wines of Bordeaux, Barolo, and Tuscany. As his love for wine grew, Marcus sought out on a journey to make wine more approachable and accessible, without sacrificing or compromising on quality.

Big thanks to Marcus, who took time out of his busy Spring Training schedule to record videos responding to my interview questions.