A tasting of Martin Woods (McMinnville, Oregon) wines: Fruit sources

Swilery, one of my favorite hometown wine bars, has been working with its distributors to provide focused tastings with artisanal winemakers from around the world. A case in point -- and the subject of this post -- was the early-November tasting of the wines of Martin Woods, a small Oregon-based producer of, primarily, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery was represented by Evan Martin who owns the enterprise along with his wife Sarah.

Evan Martin (Owner/Winemaker at Martin Woods), Natasia Lynn
And Frank Zaun (Terroir Selections)

I have not delved into the wines of Oregon at any depth and was very impressed with the offerings at this tasting. We sampled two Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs, one Gamay, and a Cabernet Franc from the Walla Walla Valley AVA and the results drove me to further explore the source(s) of their quality. This exploration will be rolled out over two posts: this one, dealing with fruit sources, and a subsequent post detailing key aspects of the Martin Woods winemaking process.

Martin Woods' goal, according to Evan, is the production of single-vineyard wines with a sense of place, "textural elegance," "expressive aromas," and with long aging potential. High quality fruit is a key part of any winemaker's success and, if the winery does not grow its own, the winemaker has to be diligent to ensure reliable sources with verifiable track records and vineyard management practices that align with his/her philosophy.

Fruit for the Martin Woods wines are purchased from the Willamette Valley and Walla Walla Valley vineyards identified in the two charts below and are discussed further in the text following.

• The Willakis Vineyard, sole source of the fruit for the Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay, is owned by Erath Winery, itself a major producer of Oregon wines. The 298-acre hillside estate has 19 acres devoted to Chardonnay vines and 100 acres devoted to Pinot Noir. Willakia is 100% sustainably farmed and is certified by the LIVE and Salmon Safe programs.
• Yamhill Valley Vineyards, another Chardonnay source, was originally planted (34 acres) to Pinot Noir in 1983. The area under vines has since expanded to 150 acres and Chardonnay vines.
• Havlin Vineyard is a source of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. This vineyard was first planted (10 acres) in 2008 with the Pinot Noir clones Pommard, 115, and 777. The vineyard has since expanded to 40 acres.
• Hyland Vineyards, located in the foothills of the Coast Range, is one of Oregon's oldest and most storied vineyards. First planted in 1971, it sits on 200 acres -- 180 under vine. "For decades its fruit has produced many award-winning wines from benchmark producers under their own labels."
• Seven Hills Vineyard and McClellan Estate in Walla Walla Valley are the sources for the Cabernet Franc grapes. Seven Hills was first planted in 1984 (one of the first commercial vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley AVA), was expanded to 20 acres in 1989, and further expanded to 200 acres in 1997. Vineyard management practices include vertically trained canopies and controlled cluster spacing. The fruit from this vineyard is currently sold to 25 producers.

One of the shared experiences of the Willamette Valley vineyards shown above is the influence of the Van Duzer Corridor. This pathway through the Coast Range funnels cool marine air into the Willamette Valley from the Pacific Ocean 30 miles to the west. This air moderates temperatures which, in turn, delays fruit ripening and preserves acidity. A specific component of the Van Duzer Corridor, lying between the McMinnville and Eola-Amity Hills AVAs, has been designated as an AVA. The main characteristics of the new AVA is captured in the chart below.

The fruit from these organically farmed vineyards are purchased under long-term contracts. It appears as though the fruit sources for the Martin Woods wines have the appropriate pedigree.

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