- 200-400 Cases Micro Lots from Cool Sites
- Burgundian in Approach
- A Focus on the Specific Terroir of Each Site
- Stunning Levels of Precision (Works Great With Dry Riesling)
- Not Trying to Please the Average American Palate AT ALL
2018 Martin Woods Pinot Noir Bednarik vineyard
- 93 Points Vinous, Josh Raynolds
- Superbly Complex Nose
- So Refined and Gorgeous
- Mid Season Cherry - Much Darker As It Opens
- Smoke, Herbs, Deep Fruit, Tea, Spice
- Lipstick-Like Intensity
- Gorgeous Florals
- Palate: Elegant and Refined
- The Most Hedonistic of His Pinots
2018 Martin Woods Gruner Veltliner Havlin Vineyard Van Duzer Corridor
- Nose: Lovely Gruner Fat
- Loads of lemon
- Palate: Mineral Yet Rich and Vibrant
- Superb Minerality and Freshness
- Textured, Deep and so Structured and Balanced
- Salty and Sweet English Peas
"I'm making wines for the geeks, the people in the trade, the winemakers, the people who love, appreciate and really get wine." Evan Martin
"Bright magenta. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-tinged aromas of ripe red berries, cherry and incense pick up a sexy floral nuance with air. Seamless and focused on the palate, offering sweet raspberry, cherry, spicecake and rose pastille flavors that stretch out slowly on the back half. Finishes silky, spicy and very long, displaying sharp clarity and harmonious tannins that lend subtle grip. 35% whole clusters and 8% new oak." 93 Points VINOUS, JOSH RAYNOLDS
Why These Wines Fit Our House Style
These wines fit exactly into the Fass Selections style like some of our best estates in France and Germany. 
The different part is where they come from. They come from Oregon. Yes, we have started working with our first domestic producer. It's a huge moment and I need to totally come out to front and say I've tasted maybe 70 bottles of domestic wine over the last decade. I'm illustrating this because what we look for here is a style. I'm not selling this because it's American wine - I'm selling this because it's spectacular, underpriced wine that fits our house style to a T.
The different part is where they come from. They come from Oregon. Yes, we have started working with our first domestic producer. It's a huge moment and I need to totally come out to front and say I've tasted maybe 70 bottles of domestic wine over the last decade. I'm illustrating this because what we look for here is a style. I'm not selling this because it's American wine - I'm selling this because it's spectacular, underpriced wine that fits our house style to a T.
- Fresh wines of place. The vineyard, the place is special.
- And then to summarize the taste profile, it would be fresh, with terrific fruit but never vulgar, always infused with lots of mineral and earth, terrific acids, always balanced and exceptionally pure, restrained wood when it is there.
- We also love wines that almost all improve open in the bottle for 2-3 days.
That's the Fass Selections style.
I still cannot believe that I'm selling Oregon wine. But the truth is in the bottle and Evan Martin's wines are truth personified. I was more nervous what clients would think of these wines more than any I've ever imported as it's such a massive departure from what I normally do from a pure geography standpoint. But I haven't been paying attention to American wines in forever and that's something I'll be correcting in the new year. But from the feedback I've gotten these are "the real deal." I concur. Tasting them again since they've landed they've gained texture, depth and more complexity. I love these wines and am glad you do as much as I do. Got two stunning wines today and the "La Tache" to the "Romanee Conti" of Jessie James vineyard.
The "La Tache" of the Pinot lineup is by far the 2018 Martin Woods Pinot Noir Bednarik vineyard. This is $41.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Big time Fass 4-3-1 as you gotta slug these down. It's an organically dry farmed vineyard with naturally occurring low yields. The wines from Bednarik are always super aromatic. Really low sulfur in this wine as well. Under 70ppm. The wines have a vibrant energy to them that is what sets Bednarik apart.
Superbly complex nose. Mid season cherry, smoke, herbs, deep fruit, tea, spice and just the most perfect sour cherry. This is so refined and gorgeous. The refinement of the aromas only grows with air. So so fine. As it airs the florals become wacky. Deep fruit and a lipstick-like intensity. Also some dark ripe black and red plums develop. After some air gorgeous florals develop on the nose.
Palate is elegant and refined with intense sour cherry fruit and substantial structure and tannins. The energy and linearity are top notch. Really fine. Such terrific tiny cherry berry fruit intensity. Another Evan Martin wine that needs 2-6 hours to open up. This is so up my alley. The finish gains definition and clarity and the fruit gets almost painfully intense and so sweet. The most structured of all of Evan's Pinot Noirs. Like a Corton. But after more air it just gets better and better. Just unreal clarity and depth to the fruit. The palate is so fine and has a deep structure that will ensure a 20 year life. As this opens, the fruit becomes darker and more intense. This is the darkest fruited of all of Evan's wines and also for me the most hedonistic. It's just brilliant and also got 93 Pts from Josh Raynolds.
Up next is another fascinating grape that I never thought I'd sell but Evan Martin had made a version that is so compelling I have to sell it. The guy is the Ziereisen of Oregon. He is a wizard with all grapes. I've recently enjoyed bottles of Evan's 2018 Gamay Noir and 2017 Riesling from Hyland vineyard. Both masterful wines and I gave them 9.3 on Delectable. Now enter the 2018 Martin Woods Gruner Veltliner Havlin Vineyard Van Duzer Corridor for $26.99 a bottle. This an insane bottle of wine but first you need to hear me out on why I don't like Austrian Gruner Veltliner. Some of you may disagree and that's ok but it's how I feel. I find most if not all Austrian GV to have a particular lanolin / soapy / herbal element that I can't really get past. From the top wines to the smaller wines it's there. Your mileage may vary but it's there. One of the reasons I love this wine so much is it doesn't have that. Maybe that's how Oregon Gruner is? I don't know.
Nose has the lovely fat that gruner is known for and all types of veggies and herbals. Lemon. Loads of lemon. Love this nose. Oh this is so good.
On the palate, mineral yet rich and vibrant with superb minerality and freshness. Textured, deep and so structured and balanced. Salty and sweet english peas on the finish. So so complex and long. Loads of tree bark and slightly savory but more woodsy aromas on the nose after air. Clean as a whistle. I like this so much and prefer over many Austrian GV's. As this airs out it gets more dank, like wet puddles in vineyards, but confectionary. Wow such depth of flavor. Gets to every nook and cranny. This is so good now but will age 10+ years and get even more complex.
The Back Story
A great customer who e-mailed me one day and said I have an Oregon producer that would be perfect for your portfolio. It caught me off guard. We are known for being only about European wines from 3 countries (4 if you include Switzerland). But I liked all the wines he bought. He was committed to a very particular style of wine that I love but is only part of what I like to drink. His palate is uncompromising. Lots of our Alto Piemonte , Valtellina and some Langhe, but more up North and his everyday wines were the underpriced and affordable but great bottlings which I love.
So now, after seeing what he drinks and combining that with being pitched an Oregon producer from this guy, I was more inclined to pursue it. Some people on this list are big time Oregon wine drinkers and champions and they also drink all the wines we sell so I'd always had that in my head that Oregon wine could be better now in the ten years since I tasted it last. Everywhere in the world there are great new winemakers popping up every day so why couldn't it happen in my own backyard?
Evan Martin
So I decided to talk to Evan Martin of Martin Woods winery in McMinnville Oregon about our company and find out about his wines. We linked up on a Saturday and chatted. I knew after that conversation that when I tasted the wines he was going to send me they were going to be special. Focused is the word I'd use to describe him. He has an almost zen-like focus on his craft plus an encyclopedic knowledge and memory. His recall of all the decisions about a wine through the entire cycle of vineyard growth and cellar management was eidetic.
The guy is uncompromising and he has a vision. He's worked at some of the top estates in Oregon including Belle Pente, a favorite of wine geeks everywhere.
2018 Martin Woods Pinot Noir "Bednarik Vineyard" - $43.99
($167.96 4-pack)
2018 Martin Woods Gruner Veltliner Havlin Vineyard Van Duzer Corridor - $28.99 ($107.96 4-pack)
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