MartinEstate

==Martin Estate Winery and Vineyard==

Martin Estate is a 12-acre, family-owned winery and Estate near Rutherford, Napa Valley, CA. It belongs to the appellation Rutherford AVA.

History

Martin Estate was constructed in 1887 by pioneer vintner and Napa County Sheriff Henry H. Harris. Harris first arrived in the Napa Valley in September, 1853, after having traveled with his family in a fifteen wagon ox team train from Missouri. He was 15 years old.

In 1860, Henry Harris married Lurinda Stice, and they spent their early-married life on a farm near Yountville, CA. Ten years later, Harris purchased over 100 acres from the Estate of George C. Yount with United States Gold Coins.

Captain Yount is credited as being the first white settler in the Napa Valley and is the only person to receive a land grant from the Mexican government in 1836. The 12,000 acres he received were known as the Caymus Land Grant. George Yount planted the first vineyard in the Napa Valley in 1838, and by 1860, was making 5,000 gallons of wine. Today's hamlet of Yountville encompasses the ranch acreage Yount donated with the intent of developing a town.

Martin Estate is located in Block B of the original Caymus Land Grant, in the heart of Napa Valley's Cabernet Sauvignon region now known as the "Rutherford Appellation."

Henry Harris was known as one of the leading agriculturists in the Napa Valley. He broke ground for his new wine cellar in 1887 with the local newspaper reporting, "It (the winery) is to be of stone, two stories high and 60 x 100 feet in size and to be completed by the middle of August. It will have a capacity of from 100,000 to 200,000 gallons and will cost about $10,000. Mr. Harris expects this year 350 or more tons from his 84 acres of vines."

The property functioned as the H.H. Harris Winery until Prohibition. In 1909, Harris leased his fully-equipped building to Georges de Latour, who was looking for a facility to make wine, as well as a good winemaker. The stone structure was outfitted with a grape crusher, a wine press, several redwood tanks, and a caretaker, Henry Stice. Georges de Latour hired Stice, who was known as an excellent winemaker, for his first crush, while constructing his own Rutherford winery, Beaulieu Vineyard (or, B.V.).

The 1909 vintage crushed at the Harris Winery yielded some 50,000 gallons of wine, which became the first wine sold under the Beaulieu Vineyard trademark. Georges de Latour renewed his winery lease the following year and produced 100,000 gallons of wine. This was the last time that wine was made in the H.H. Harris Winery until the end of the 20th century.

In 1941, the 18,000 square foot building was renamed "Puerta Dorada" by it's new owners. It was transformed into a country chateau. Yet, the upkeep the the estate proved costly and difficult. The property eventually fell into disrepair and over time, over 50,000 bats called the structure home.

The estate was purchased in 1996 by Petra and Greg Martin. They appreciated the heritage of the Harris Winery and decided to make every effort to restore and maintain its 18th and 19th century feel. The Estate Vineyard was planted, and the H.H. Harris Winery was resurrected as Martin Estate after nearly ninety years of dormancy.

The Winery and Vineyard

Martin Estate's vineyard, named "Puerta Dorada" (or Golden Door) was planted in 1996 with 17,000 vines, making the Puerta Dorada Vineyard a true Napa Valley First Growth. Because the land surrounding the Estate had never been planted, the vineyard has the incredible advantage of a soil that has not been depleted by decades of monoculture and chemical impact. The vineyard is organically farmed and eight acres in total, seven acres are planted with tightly spaced Cabernet Sauvignon, Clones 4, 6 and 337. Additionally, planted are one-half acre of Merlot, and one-half acre of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Martin Estate's total production is approximately 1500 cases per vintage, making the estate grown, produced and bottled Martin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon limited to what the vineyard property yields.

Split redwood stakes and non-galvanized wire were used as the trellising system to avoid the reflection of new metal, retaining the feel of a 19th-century vineyard.

The soils on the property are Pleasanton Loam and Yolo Loam. Both of these are well-drained soils on alluvial fans, allowing the roots of the vines to go deep into the ground in search of water, thus requiring little irrigation. The rootstocks chosen are especially well-suited for the terrain.

At harvest time, the grapes are carefully handpicked in small lots and are separated according to clones, as well as their specific maturity. As the vines are only a few feet away from the Estate Winery, it is possible to get the grapes onto a sorting table within minutes after picking. The grapes are hand sorted before making their way into either custom French cement tanks or French oak casks for fermentation. Strict yield control ensures grapes of exceptional quality with maximum flavor.

Today, Winemaker Aaron Pott is in charge of the Estate wine production. The intensity of Martin Estate wines mirrors its terroir, expressing a harmonious balance between structure and flavor - allowing the full expression of the fruit and the place where it was grown.