2019 Martin Woods, Gamay Willamette Valley

tasting notes

crunchy cranberry & black cherry—mineral/spice/pepper/floral/herbal accents—palate is fresh, focused, tense with a lithe balance and framed by gentle tannin structure—a youthful and versatile wine offering much pleasure

vineyards Tualatin Estate (Tualatin Hills AVA) and Havlin (Van Duzer Corridor AVA)

elevation 300-400 feet

aspects mostly south-facing, gentle to moderate slopes

soils Laurelwood (Tualatin) and Steiwer Soil Series (Havlin)

vine age 11-17 years

clonal selection 284 from Beaujolais

farming Dry-Farmed

harvest Oct. 6 & 11, 2019

elevage 9 months sans souf, sur lie, old neutral cooperage

bottled without fining on August 18, 2020 with 30ppm Total SO2

cases produced 611

the Terroir

Tualatin Estate is situated in the far northwestern corner of the Willamette Valley, framed by the coast range to the immediate west and composed of Laurelwood soil that gives floral aromatics, red fruit and delicate texture. Havlin vineyard sits squarely in the mouth of the Van duzer Corridor, the air conditioning pathway through the Coast Range where marine air enters from the ocean to the west and cools the Willamette Valley. The consistency and intensity of these winds mean that Gamay from Havlin is more intense, deeply colored and structured. This bottling is a highly complementary marriage of the two sites.The Willamette Valley is truly a home-away-from-home for Gamay. It thrives here.