Alcohol: 13.4%
Grape(s): 100% Syrah
Localization: Oregon, USA
Tasting Notes: Classic, varietally pure aromas...fragrant garden herbs and peppers—ripe cherry kirsch fruit, silken and refreshing—balanced, refined structure, energetic texture with a long resonant finish
Notes: Tightly demarcated by virtue of a single soil series (Freewater Series) and a single land form (alluvial fan), the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater exists entirely on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. RockBar is situated in the middle of this highly distinctive terroir, where large cobblestones have collected over a hundred feet deep. Seven Hills Vineyard is a historic vineyard planted only steps outside of the Rocks District. The original vines were planted in 1982 by the McClellan family, who also planted (in 2003) another vineyard immediately adjacent to Seven Hills, called McClellan Estate. The vines at all three vineyards are self-rooted, ungrafted, with deep root systems. Careful management leads to balanced canopy growth and moderate yields, with Cabernet Franc clusters having good spacing, airflow, and sun exposure. The inland continental climate provides alternating cold nights and long, warm Summer days with ample sunlight due to the high northern latitude (46 degrees N). This diurnal shift gives grapes with a wonderful balance of fruit, acidity, structure, and highly expressive aromatics.
The Domain: Martin Woods(the woods and the winery) is hidden in the oak-forested foothills of Oregon's Coast Range, within the cool-climate McMinnville AVA, Willamette Valley. Martin Woods is both the home and winery for winemaker/vigneron Evan Martin, who has been driven by a passion since 2009 for discovering the most compelling terroir in Oregon. Elegant Pinot noir and Chardonnay are the focus of the portfolio, but Riesling, Gruner, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Syrah are more than proving extremely exciting for exploration. Evan’s small team farms according to sustainable, wholistic principles and the growers he partner's with are of the same mindset. The winemaking methods are delicate and natural, but of greatest importance is that a Martin Woods wine promotes the classic qualities of purity, balance, complexity and fine structure that can only result from great terroir combined with wholehearted dedication to art and craft. Above all, it is the hope that the wines evoke a consistent and inspiring sense-of-place, an authentic Oregon voice. May your wine journey be full of love, laughter and adventure, sincerely, Evan Martin
