Now that’s a sense of place.

Terroir. That unique set of environmental factors present in a single location that gives a wine its unique character.

Nowhere is that more evident than when you’re at Martin Woods. In the hills outside McMinnville – up a looooong gravel road with barely a sign of other humanity – the hills and valleys of the Willamette Valley stretch out before you. Terroir.

But take a moment, and you’ll notice you’re surrounded by Oregon Oak trees, a unique species, Quercus garryana, native to the Willamette Valley. These are the same Oregon oak trees that Evan Martin is increasingly using to make wine barrels. For Evan, that’s terroir.

Of course, Oregon oak brings its own challenges. Many winemakers were unhappy with the results – with lightly toasted oak delivering strong tannins or deeply toasted oak overwhelming the wine.

Evan’s deep experimentation has revealed the right approach to Oregon oak cooperage – a “low and slow” toast on the oak that gently enhances the wine, rather than overwhelming it.

Terroir from grapes and barrels. Truly a uniquely Oregon wine!