Martella Wines: The Art and Style of Wine

Martella believes what is required to make good wine translates into very simple winemaking practices: buying grapes from good vineyards and from good people. Growers who enjoy and honor what they do for a living are going to produce good fruit. Martella works with people that have a mutual understanding, respect, and trust. The proof of that trust is to be found in the wine. Whether or not biodynamics per se is the farming trend of the future, Martella follows its guiding principles and enables a “biodelicious” wine.

Sauvignon Blanc - 2008, Monterey County
$16.50

A new vineyard source in Monterey County signals a style change for this vintage of non oaked Sauvignon Blanc. Wanting to accentuate its varietal flavor, Martella fermented and aged the wine in small, stainless steel casks, adding a sur lies stirring regime in which the lees of the yeast stayed with the wine and were stirred twice weekly for seven months. This process adds a rich creamy texture to the wine and greatly enhances its complexity.

The wine begins in the mouth with notes of pear, peach, orange peel and anise, then expands on the palate in an explosion of classic Sauvignon Blanc fruit flavor. It will pair beautifully with grilled fish, chicken and vegetables, pasta salads and mildly spicy Asian and Mexican cuisine.

Martella has retained the picnic-friendly screw cap bottle and the Peace Angel label designed by one of his wife Beverly’s young art students.

Syrah - 2006, California
$24.00 

“Hammer” translates to “Martella” in Italian, and Martella has nailed this popular variety once again, this time using three vineyard sources in a unique blending of different terroirs. Two of the vineyards are long-time favorites of Michael, Camel Hill in the Santa Cruz Mountains for lush, rich earthy tones and Fairbairn Ranch in Mendocino County for bright red fruit character and structure. The newbie to the offering is a Carneros (Sonoma County) vineyard, adding a note of white pepper and spice to the blend. It is a big, rowdy wine with ripe fruit on the nose, and a sweet smooth richness that always seems to define Hammer Syrah. Currant, black cherry and vanilla dominate on the palate. The finish is rich and long. Pair this Syrah with pastas in cooked tomato sauce and Italian sausage, grilled vegetables, lamb stew and spicy pizzas. It can also stand up to a wide variety of barbecue sauces.

Grenache - 2006, Fiddletown, Oleta Vineyard
$26.00 

This Grenache wine is 100% Grenache harvested the fruit from a one-acre block at Oleta Vineyard in Amador County, where the warm growing season extends well into October. This long hang time ensures fully ripe, rich Grenache berries alive with the sweet flavors of raspberry, blackberry and black currant. These grapes express Grenache varietal character at its finest, with little need to blend in anything else. Barrel aging, in French adds complexity and structure to this California-grown old world favorite. It’s an excellent food wine that complements a wide variety of red and white meats, and most Mexican, Chinese and Italian foods except fish dishes.

Viognier - 2007, Santa Cruz Mountain
$32.00

Grown in the cool-climate of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this hand-crafted, oak-free Viognier is highly aromatic with peach and floral notes that exemplify the classic flavor profile of the variety. The wine was fermented with natural yeasts in small stainless steel drums, then stirred three time a week for six months to create a silky texture that enhances its rich, bright fruit flavors.

Syrah - 2004, Mendocino, Fairbairn Ranch Vineyard
$35.00

This ruby-red Syrah has all the rich brightness and luscious fruit flavors that characterize the finest wines made from this grape variety. Plump plum and cherry flavors lead the way, with a smooth, almost jammy texture that radiates into layers and layers of fruit-dominated taste. Smooth tannins add structure without bite or tartness, thanks to the unique climate of Mendocino County: its warm days and very cool evenings contribute to an exceptionally long hang time for red wine grapes, allowing full ripening of skin and seed tannins. All the Syrah grapes for this wine were grown at the Fairbairn Ranch, an organically, biodynamically-farmed hillside vineyard owned by Joe and Julie Golden, and farmed by Jerry Yates. This Mendocino Syrah will stand up to hearty, grilled lamb and beef dishes, paired with roasted root vegetables or cooked tomato sauces, vegetables, lamb stew and spicy pizzas.

Petite Sirah - 2006, Mendocino, Heart Arrow Ranch
$35.00

**Gold Medal Mendocino County Wine Competition**

If any Petite Sirah is going to catapult into the spotlight of American wine favorites, it’s quite likely to be Martella’s 2006 Petite Sirah from the Heart Arrow Ranch in Mendocino County. This certified organic, biodynamically-farmed vineyard has been one of Martella’s favorites from the beginning. Petite Sirah is a late-ripening grape variety, especially at Heart Arrow’s elevation of 1,200 feet, and this vintage wasn’t picked until the end of October to ensure fully-ripened, soft tannins. After it ferments the young wine is placed in heavily-toasted French and American oak barrels, and then ages it for 16 months in 130-gallon puncheons, also with a heavy toast. If you have a hankering for a BIG wine, this Petite Sirah is for you. As powerful as it is, it still expresses a delicious elegance and roundness not often found in a young red wine. It has a candied, sweet fruit nose, and dense flavors of currants and black fruits and berries, with a hint of licorice. This wine wants food to go with it, and friends to share it. Braised and roasted red meats and rich poultry like duck, tomato-based sauces and grilled vegetables pair well with this delicious Petite Sirah.

Cabernet Sauvignon - 2005, Mendocino, Heart Arrow Ranch
$55.00

**Double Gold Medal Mendocino County Wine Competition**

This complex, delicious wine has layers and layers of soft, ripe fruit flavors – plum, blackberry and black cherry, with a note of spice and sweet cedar. It is unusually rounded and balanced for such a young red wine, already lush and smooth in the mouth without the need for additional bottle aging, in large part because the warm days and very cool evenings of Mendocino County contribute to an exceptionally long hang time for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This ideal climate allows the fruit to fully ripen its tannins without any residual harsh or dry aftertaste. All the grapes were harvested from the Heart Arrow Ranch, an organic, Biodynamic hillside vineyard whose owners are dedicated to the producing the finest quality of fruit. This wine will be delicious with beef and lamb recipes or with hearty, tomato-based pasta dishes.

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