Martin Ray Winery – 39
Tuesday, March 8th, 2005
Martin Ray Winery was established in the 1940s and has a reputation for being one of the first wineries in California to produce vineyard-specific wines from his vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I stumbled on this winery while investigating the Russian River Wine Road and learned that it is now owned and operated by Courtney Benham. When I initially saw the sign, I assumed I was pulling down a road that held several different wineries. Only later did I discover that Martin Ray Winery is the parent company with a number of additional labels under their umbrella: Courtney Benham Wines, Angeline Wines, Mountain Wines, and Red (a jug wine).
Driving up to the winery, one is immediately taken with the extremely large, looming tower which bears the company name. As far was water towers go, it is pretty big and a great landmark for the winery. The actual tasting room lies back from the rest of the wine-making facilities and is pretty standard as far as buildings are concerned. Nothing flashy to set it apart. It is functional but I imagine that something is in store for the visitor area as the facilities were only just acquired by Benham in July of 2003 and upon my first visit, I had to fight smelling the wine through the fumes of the freshly-painted tasting room.
I love the history aspect of this winery — it was initially established in 1881 as the Twin Fir Winery and is set apart by being the oldest continually-operating winery in Sonoma (they got through Prohibition by selling sacramental wine to Rabbis)! The winery became Martini & Prati in 1902 and remained that way until Martin Ray acquired it in the 1940s. For their price point, the wines show great potential however I believe a second visit will be needed as the smell of paint truly interfered with a proper tasting.
2002 Courtney Benham Winery, Sauvignon Blanc – Tropical fruit aromas couple with the same fruit in the mouth. Gives way to a hint of lemon in the even, acidic finish. $12.00
2004 Angeline Winery, Mendocino County Gewurztraminer – At 4% residual sugar, this was a candy shop of aromas and flavors including grapefruit, passion fruit, and floral notes. $10.00
2002 Martin Ray Winery, Russian River Valley Chardonnay – Citrus highlights the entry of a balanced wine that ends with a creamy finish. $16.00
2001 Martin Ray Winery, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – Orange and rather pale in color, some berry notes couple the toasted oak bouquet. Vanilla entry and layered fruit flavors finish with even more vanilla. $16.00
2002 Martin Ray Winery, Sonoma County Merlot – Black pepper and green bell pepper aromas somewhat overwhelm the hint of fruit underneath. Tight entry and pale finish. $16.00
2001 Angeline Winery, Paso Robles Syrah – Young, green fruit in the nose somewhat surprises the hefty, brambleberry mouth entry. The pale, uneven finish seems typical. $10.00
2000 Martin Ray Winery, Diamond Mountain Reserve Cabernet – Interesting that a Sonoma Winery’s best effort is from mountain fruit in Napa. A hint of green bell pepper aromas subsides to produce exotic Indian spices that would normally be found in Hindu temples. Soft, silky entry somewhat contradicts a heightened, peppery tannic finish. Give it ten years. $70.00
Martin Ray Wines ~ 2191 Laguna Road ~ Santa Rosa ~ CA ~ 95401 ~ 707-823-2404