Martin Woods | Guangdong Tip Comb Group

Winery spotlight: Martin Woods Winemaker Evan Martin at Martin Woods, McMinnville. (Photo by Michael Alberty/Photo by Michael Alberty)

Evan Martin makes his Martin Woods wines at the end of a long gravel road in the foothills of Oregon’s Coast Range. While his winery is only 10 miles from downtown McMinnville, the forested hillsides make you feel deep in a national park. The wines are worth the dusty drive.

Martin Woods is best known for: terroir-driven wines that Martin says are meant to be as refreshing as they are representative of where they come from.

Innovation: Martin Woods is also known for using Oregon oak barrels to age wines.

Martin points out that he is not the first winemaker to embrace Quercus garryana. “Rick DeFerrari has been making Oregon oak barrels since the 1990s, and a handful of local wineries supported his efforts early on,” Martin said.

Martin builds on those earlier efforts by working to determine which grape varieties work best in Oregon oak, how the barrels should be toasted and how long the wood staves should be aged. His work points toward chardonnay and syrah being excellent candidates for Oregon oak aging.

As for their impact on the wines, Martin described Oregon oak as being “more reductive than French oak. It doesn’t breathe as much and evaporates less water. It’s just a slower evolution for the wine and there’s a tautness, an energy that’s maintained.”

Martin also believes that Oregon oak barrels impart a “saline texture” to his wines, particularly the whites. He calls it “a hunch” that this might be due to where the trees grow. Martin said, “These trees, especially in the western Willamette Valley, are growing in salt-laden air coming from the ocean. They might be absorbing that salt.”

A final caveat – Martin looks at Oregon oak barrels as a single arrow in his quiver that is “uniquely Oregon,” not as a replacement for French oak barrels.

“Even if we wanted to, there’s not enough Oregon oak trees,” Martin said.

“Must try” current release: 2021 Martin Woods Pearlstad Vineyard Chardonnay ($55 – 12.9% ABV).

This Eola-Amity Hills chardonnay aged in older Oregon and French oak barrels tastes like a chilled pear slice dusted in cinnamon. The wine possesses crisp acidity and the dynamic tension of a texture that crunches as you enjoy its salty ocean breeze and orchard fruit aromas.

History: Martin credits “wanderlust” for motivating him to leave Indiana and pursue a college education and the ski slopes out west. Martin’s travels eventually landed him in Walla Walla, Washington.

Martin worked harvests at Seven Hills Winery in 2004 and 2005 before leaving Walla Walla to hunt powder snow in assorted western locations. Eventually, he settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he worked for a restaurant and then as the wine buyer for a small shop and wine bar.

Despite his love of the wine world, Martin eventually returned home to study photojournalism at Indiana University in Bloomington. Earning money for photojournalism, however, turned out to be challenging.

To help finance his photography projects, Martin headed to the Willamette Valley in 2009 to work a harvest for Brian and Jill O’Donnell at Belle Pente Vineyard & Winery in Carlton. Martin had discovered Oregon wines while working in Santa Fe and thought the region was filled with possibilities.

Martin returned to work harvest for the O’Donnells in 2010 and 2011. Calling Belle Pente “a great place to learn the craft of winemaking,” Martin became the full-time assistant winemaker there in 2012.

In 2014, the O’Donnells allowed Martin to use their winery to make the first wine for his Martin Woods label, a pinot noir. While continuing to make a pinot noir of his own at Belle Pente each year, Martin began making other wines, like riesling and gamay noir, at another winery.

Martin left Belle Pente in 2017 to transform Martin Woods into a stand alone venture.

What we don’t know: Winemaking talent runs in the family. Michael Garofola, Martin’s cousin and fellow Indiana native, owns Cutter Cascadia Wine, an Oregon winery specializing in Columbia River Gorge wines.

Last record played: Martin loves vinyl with a passion, so I let him give two answers – Madison McFerrin’s “I Hope You Can Forgive Me” and “Blowout Comb” by Digable Planets.

Tasting tip: While tastings are available by appointment at the Martin Woods winery, you can also taste an assortment of Martin’s wines while enjoying great music at HiFi, his wine bar at 711 N.E. Third St. in McMinnville.

Where to buy: Division Wines and Flor Wines are excellent Portland locations to shop for Martin Woods wines.

Martin also suggested Catherine Store Wine & Liquor in Carbondale, Colorado, Bazaar Meat in Chicago, Illinois, The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn, New York, and just about any place where wine is sold in Santa Fe.

By appointment, 20500 S.W. Eagle Point Road, McMinnville, martinwoodswinery.com or [email protected].

-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine