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Martin Woods Winery 2017 Rosé
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!
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Martin Woods Winery, McMinnville, Oregon
2017 Rosé
Ah, rosé. I have been hoping to include a rosé in our Thanksgiving selection for several years. Would people think I was crazy? Rosé in November? Isn’t rosé just for hot summer days by the river?
No way! In my opinion, rosé is the perfect wine for Thanksgiving. It pleases both red wine and white wine lovers, the acid cuts through the richness of traditional foods, and the fruitiness compliments the flavors of the season.
The Martin Woods Rosé is especially well suited for the holiday. It’s a blend of 40% Pinot noir, 25% Gamay noir, 25% Gewürztraminer and 10% Riesling – four wine varietals that are each themselves excellent pairings with turkey, gravy, potatoes and butter.
The light and fruity character of the Pinot and Gamay combine with the spice of the Gewürztraminer and the brightness of the Riesling to create a lovely and complex wine with aromas of red fruits, white flowers, and spices. It’s not a sweet wine, so open it at the beginning of your holiday meal!
A Cellar 503 selection in November 2018, Thanksgiving Wines Willamette Valley | Gamay Noir, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Riesling
