The ultimate "Tuesday Night" red
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Years ago I coined the phrase “Tuesday Night” wine to describe affordably priced, quality-driven wines. These are wines that you’re not afraid to open and enjoy on a Tuesday night and they’re great to have around when friends and relatives show up at your door.
My favorite way to find these little Tuesday night gems is through the wonderful independent vignerons and co-ops I already work with. In many cases, these producers will have terrific entry-level reds and whites that are sourced from younger vines or just out of the village borders. These wines are always affordably priced and enjoy the same integrity in production and attention to quality normally reserved for higher priced bottlings.
Le Petit Martin comes from one of my favorite vignerons and one of the first properties I arranged to source from France many years ago. Most of you will instantly recognize Domaine Martin for their amazing Plan de Dieu Village. Today’s insider deal is their “Petit Martin” Vacluse blend — a perfect “Tuesday Night Red” if I’ve ever tasted one. It’s affordable, comes from a quality oriented independent vigneron, and it’s pure drinking pleasure in the glass!
The Plan de Dieu -- surrounded by famous wine making villages
Striking likeness to wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas
The Plan de Dieu is a huge flat plane located northeast of Orange and just west of Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley. The plane extends from Travaillan and Violès in the north to Jonquières in the south and gradually increases in elevation west to the villages of Gigondas, Vacqueryas and Beaum-de-Venise at the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail
The history of grape growing in the region was first noted in a land agreement in 1362 delineating pasturage and wine-growing areas between the local villages of Travaillan and Camaret. The close proximity to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the striking similarity of soil to neighboring Gigondas and Vacqueryas both contributed to the long success of the region’s grape growing and winemaking.
Eric and David Martin -- 3rd generation vignerons
Julien Martin established Domaine Martin in 1905 when he purchased five hectares of vinyards in the Plan de Dieu. In the 1930s, Julien’s son Jules took over the property and started to purchase additional vineyard plots in the Plan de Dieu and also in surrounding villages. By the late 1940s, the family shifted from selling fruit to the local co-op to producing their own wine at the Domaine. In 1960, Jules sons René and Yves continued to aquire more vineyard holdings and expanded the cellar in order to add bottling production.
Today, the property is owned and managed by Eric and David Martin, great grandsons of the founder. The estate has grown to more than 70 hectares and includes parcels in the Plan de Dieu, Rasteau, Carianne and Vacluse. They grow a classic combination of Rhône varietals, all perfectly suitable for vineyards — Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Marselan and Merlot for the reds and Viognier, Bourboulenc and Grenache blanc for the whites.
Eric and David Martin may look like grape growers and winemakers, however, to me, they seem more like magicians. Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, they have the uncanny ability to coax fresh and lifted wines out of the region’s punishingly hot environment. The true magic is in the glass, where their wines show wonderful balance and brightness at very reasonable alcohol levels.
Petit Martin is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Merlot sourced from 20-30-year-old vines all located in and around the Plan de Dieu. The sandy limestone soil, blanketed with layers of pebbles, is very similar to Gigondas and Vacqueryas, and results in a wine with similar density and structure.
An AWM find and exclusive selection
The 2018 Petit Martin is particularly amazing to me considering the hot growing season and harvest of last year. The brothers really did pull a rabbit out of a hat as this wine is extraordinarily fresh and lifted despite the tough conditions.
In your glass, you’ll find a medium-bodied red that opens with bright aromas of raspberry and cherry, mixed with savory herbs and spice. The palate is super fresh and packed with red berry notes along with the savory notes of garigue that flow through the palate from the nose. The soft yet ample structure will complement almost any food pairing and I know it will shine at all of your grill-outs and picnics. Hammond and I had a glass of this recently with one of her homemade Lamb and Cilantro pizzas and I have to tell you, it was spectacular. This is going to be one of our house reds for the spring and summer!
The first 30 cases just arrived and we hope to have more arriving in the summer as well. Thanks to a slightly stronger dollar, the price did not go up at all from last year and if the dollar continues to gain, the price should hold through the summer!
Domaine Martin
Le Petit Martin- Can't make it in? Call 828-253-0060 with your credit card number.
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