Martin's Lane Winery
Power of the First Impression
Back in 2015 during my visit to the Mission Hill Family Estate in West Kelowna, BC, I saw a bottle of Martin’s Lane Pinot Noir sitting in a glass display box by their Legacy tasting room. It caught my attention; the 2011 vintage of the wine won the 2013 “World’s Best Pinot Noir” at Decanter Awards when the wine was still produced under the Mission Hill brand. Thinking back, my palate back then probably wouldn’t have been able to appreciate it the way I can now. I did not get to taste it, but the accolade it received struck a cord with me so the name got imprinted in my memory. I was a sucker for prestigious titles and I still am, but I now am more curious than ever as to the reasons why. I think it’s that mind set, the passion and curiosity, that prepares wine lovers like me to eventually encounter the wines and the people behind them the way they are intended to.
Now fast forward to the moment I opened the Martin’s Lane’s 2014 Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling: It was a sunny afternoon near the end of summer - this shiny and brilliant liquid gold lit up my patio. Honestly, even though my friend highly recommended it, I did not know what to expect - and I certainly did not expect such intense complexity delivered in such a free spirited elegance. I became a fan that day.
Building of a World Class Winery
July 9th 2021, our tour was scheduled at 11 am but due to my built-in urge to be punctual - it’s insane sometimes I know - we arrived 30 minutes early. The newly finished 6-level gravity-led winery looked so grand sitting on this North Okanagan hillside. We parked behind the head of Vincent Van Gogh under 30 degree weather, kids said they heard roosters crowing coming from somewhere, with some time to kill, we walked up the hill to check out the area. There’s a house and a chicken shed half way up the hill so we stood there letting our daughters stare at them for 15 minutes. The eggs produced at the shed goes directly to the Home Block restaurant (another MUST visit location, delicious food!) at CedarCreek winery neighbouring Martin’s Lane. The vineyards behind Martin’s Lane Winery actually provide fruits for the CedarCreek Estate Winery, I believe Martin’s Lane is built next door to allow sharing of resources and the slope requirement for the gravity-led design.
Anthony von Mandl, the proprietor who brought Okanagan Valley to the world stage started with Mission Hill, and his lead architect, Tom Kundig, placed many thoughtful elements in and around the winery. It was an unique integration of contemporary and rustic arts that speaks to the souls and the inherent quality of the great Pinot Noirs and Rieslings produced here.
During that weekend there were many families I know, by pure coincidence, planned a trip to the valley. So when they heard that I scheduled a winery tour to Martin’s Lane Winery, many asked if they could tag along. The group grew to 5 families each with 1 or 2 young children (yep). The host, Matt, acted like it was nothing, greeted us with such grace and professionalism.
The tour started with a bit of the story behind the head of Van Gogh listening (from the left side, yep that side) to the voice of the land. Behind the entrance, we were met with a spiralling black staircase symbolizing rising smoke to remember the horrible wildfire in 2003 - apparently it was also designed to follow Fibonacci sequence liken to the growth of a grapevine. With attention to detail on the micro level throughout the winery, it was designed to invoke out of body experience. There’s a private tasting room with a long table and wine racks around showcasing Martin’s Lane’s wines alongside other greats of the world such as Grand Crus from DRC (Domain de la Romanée-Conti), a maturing room with oak barrels and a mosaic tile floor with a mix of red ceramic (I think) tiles and 24k gold tiles signifying the ratio of Pinot Noir and Riesling produced by Martin’s Lane, and a very artsy and cozy tasting lounge on the second floor with magnetic-lock re-arrangeable wooden blinds, premium minimalistic couches, a display of limited edition magnums with the ear of Van Gogh on the label, and a sculpture gifted by the late Steven Spurrier.
Finally, we sat at a long table by the patio where the glass doors can be fully opened by a hand-crank wheel. We tasted the entire flight of their wines from coolest to warmest of vineyard sites. We had a great time discovering and discussing the significances and nuances of terroir.
The visit at the winery cannot really be fully described with words, it is something you just have to see for yourself. The entire winery tour was very memorable for all of us, it is not an experience one can just get anywhere. It also allowed us to appreciate the wines even more knowing the thoughts and hard work that were put into elevating not just the winery but for the entire region. So from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to thank the team at Martin’s Lane Winery: Shane Munn (Winemaker and General Manager), Kathy Nichols (Cellar Host), and Matt Lebedorr Jr. our tour host, who welcomed us with open arms and made our trip an unforgettable experience!
Listen, Terroir
Martin’s Lane Winery makes World Class Riesling and Pinot Noir from 4 distinct vineyards around the winery, each showing its uniqueness. The grapes are selected and harvested by hand through multiple passes, sorted to the highest standards, then guided down the tiers of transformation. The entire winemaking is done by gravity from receiving, fermentation, maturation, to bottling without pumps and minimal human intervention.
The Winemaker and General Manager, Shane Munn, with a degree in statistics and a degree in wine science back home in New Zealand, took on winemaking around the world including Burgundy, France, Barolo, Italy, and Ontario, Canada. He then brought his passion and experiences in wine and biodynamic viticulture to Martin’s Lane. With focus in the analytical details in the vineyard down to a single micro block to decide what each wine is going to be, then he gently guides the winemaking process to let the terroir speak for itself. The end results are terroir-focused distinctly different and delicious world class Rieslings and Pinot Noirs.
Naramata Ranch Vineyard
The south-most vineyard that Martin’s Lane makes wines from, with various geology, topography, and elevations. With complex granite bedrock and glacial-formed silt topsoil, this is the home of Martin’s Lane’s oldest Riesling vines (planted in 1976) and 5 distinct micro-blocks of Pinot Noir. Martin’s Lane also produces a Riesling Ice Wine from here.
Fritzi’s Vineyard
My personal favourite, both Riesling and Pinot Noir. Named after von Mandl’s mother, this south-east facing single-parcel vineyard sits at the foot of a dormant volcano. Having gathered the energy from the sun and the quartz-rich soil, Fritzi’s Vineyard produces the winery’s most intense and concentrated wines.
Simes Vineyard
The only North-facing granite-based vineyard, is the coolest site due to facing and latitude. With Pinot Noir sitting near the top of the slope and Riesling, which is picked last, sitting near the bottom, this vineyard produces bright and aromatic wines.
Dehart Vineyard
This is a Pinot Noir only vineyard, also the cooler sites out of the 4 listed. It is west facing with fine glacial formed silt over gravel soil. It produces more elegant and restrained Pinot Noirs for those who love the nuances.