Martin Ray
2019 Chardonnay
, Santa Cruz Mountains
93 Points, James Suckling
Mouthwateringly intense aromas of salted butter and toast, with ripe Bosc pear, lemon mousse, and grilled pineapple with touches of honeysuckle on the nose. Lemon curd, grilled pear, hazelnut and chalk. Subtle baking spices, sweet grass, a hint of quince paste and Tahitian vanilla overlay a broad palate framed by linear acidity and minerality. Hard to resist this wine.
Enjoy now or hold a few in your cellar.
A true representation of cool climate, high-elevation Chardonnay, offering ripe fruit, incredible concentration, framed by intense acidity and minerality.
VINEYARDS
Bald Mountain Vineyard, Cooper-Garrod Vineyard are both sitting at roughly 1000 ft elevation on opposite sides of the mountain, each vineyard was planted over 30 years ago and experiences impeccable sun exposure with tremendous diurnal shifts in temperature.
VINTAGE
Starting with rain during bloom, 2019 transitioned into a steady, slow to warm spring. Temperate throughout the summer, offering only a couple intermittent heat spikes. Average yields and incredible quality with harvest beginning in early August.
WINEMAKING
Each lot picked individually at peak ripeness. Gently whole cluster pressed, cold-settled for two days, then racked to 35% new French oak barrels. Native yeast fermentation and 100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred bi-weekly during it’s 12 months of aging.
Vintage: 2019
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Vineyard: Bald Mountain Vineyard, Cooper-Garrod Vineyard
Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains
Aging: Lees stirred bi-weekly for 12 months on 35% new French oak
Brix: 22.6
pH: 3.43
TA: 6.0 g/100ml
Release Date: November 2020
Alcohol: 13.4%
Tasting Notes 
PDF
The name Martin Ray resonates deeply in the history of California Winemaking. Martin Ray was a pioneer, dedicated to crafting single varietal, region specific wine from 1943 through 1972 in Saratoga, the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mentored by the famed producer of early California sparkling wines Paul Masson, Ray took a decidedly burgundian approach to his winemaking, and developed what is now one of the most historical properties in California, known as Mount Eden.
In 2003, Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery made its home in the Russian River Valley, on the edge of Green Valley at one of the oldest continually working wineries in California. With the ardent philosphy that great wine is not only the sum of more than just good grapes and a talented winemaker, but rather the result of an efficient, nimble whole, he has assembled a lean core team. This foundational approach, coupled with long term relationships with celebrated growers has led Martin Ray to produce quality wines sourced from the best growing regions California has to offer.
Winery Overview PDF
Learn more at www.martinraywinery.com.
