My journey in the Rhône continued with a visit to Domaine Martin and our old friend Eric Martin. I met Eric some years back and we immediately fell in love with his property and his wines. They’ve become some of the most requested wines in the Shop.
The estate dates back to 1905 when Julien Martin bought the property and its accompanying 5 hectares of vineyards. In 1947 his son, Jules, took over its management, buying parcels of vines from that point on, building the facilities to make wine on the property and overseeing production. Today the estate comprises 67 hectares of prime wine growing land and is run by David and Eric, the great grandsons of its founder..
Their vineyard holding total around 67 hectares of which 50 have AOC status and 8 produce Vin de Pays wines. They are planted with red varieties Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, as well as the white grapes Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenache blanc.
Eric and David make honest wines that truly reflect their place of origin. Fantastic depth of aroma and flavors here, with with wines featuring earth, leather and smoke layered atop dried cherry, spice and mineral notes. Savory and powerful without sacrificing accessibility.
We try to always stock a wide variety of Eric’s wines and currently have a nice selection of regional whites and reds, with more on the way from the trip. The last three vintages have been very kind to the Domain with general weather and conditions super favorable. I had the opportunity to taste some of his 2015 releases from barrell and I must say they are going to be outstanding!
-Larry