Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery

True pioneer of Santa Cruz Mountains viticulture

For nearly 30 years, Martin Ray was making site specific wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains and, with the venerable Paul Masson as his mentor, pushing the limits of what early viticulture could achieve in California. Decades later, thanks to a true industry miracle, Courtney Benham discovered an old tranche of Martin's wines and decided to celebrate and revive the brand in the modern era. Today, Leslie Mead Renaud and Raemy Paterson drive the winemaking.

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More terroirs, same philosophy

Despite adding new vineyard sources, the focus remains the land

Back in 2003, the estate settled in the Russian River Valley and began producing wines from a variety of sites in Sonoma County, Napa, and of course, Santa Cruz. The wines speak very clearly to the original ideology of "place first" and are transparent in their communication of terroir and vintage. Never heavy handed, these are wines of elegance first and foremost.