Martin’s Lane an impressive spoke in next Okanagan wheel
World class is one of those descriptors that plagues the wine business, but after a first visit to Martin’s Lane Winery in East Kelowna last month, one could make a case for the over-worked phrase to truly — and succinctly — describe owner Anthony von Mandl’s latest winery vision.
The six-level, 100 per cent gravity flow winery metres north of CedarCreek is yet another von Mandl project that reaches for the stars. Martin’s Lane is self-described as the most radical Pinot Noir winery in the world, and it’s hard to disagree. To say it’s architecturally stunning is an understatement. Named for von Mandl’s father, it is the work of several designers led by acclaimed American architect Tom Kundig, the man responsible for Mission Hill Family
Estate, visible as the crow flies just a few kilometres west, across the lake.
As it is with every von Mandl project, no detail is too small to be fussed over — from the free-standing central staircase that mimics vine growth, to the building’s exterior cladding that is naturally “rusting” toward a colour that reflects the many hues of the Ponderosa pinedotted north Okanagan countryside.
From an east-west perspective the winery appears to clamber down the hillside at the same angle as the vineyards, while the horizontal north-south axis follows the horizon and cantilevers above the vines, offering sweeping views of Okanagan Lake.
No Pinot Noir or Riesling grape I know has ever been given a better chance to be great from the moment it arrives at the winery until it goes into a bottle.
From an extensive covered crush pad area to a small sea of varying size wine vessels contoured to baby the Pinot fruit, it’s a winery without a conventional pump that suits winemaker and mathematician Shane Munn’s philosophy of handling the fruit in a simple, gentle manner.
Munn, who brings a stellar resume to B.C. that includes important work in New Zealand; Burgundy, France; Barolo, Italy; and North America, is excited to finally get his wines out into the marketplace.
For the moment, there is only a handful of wines made at Martin’s Lane based on Pinot Noir and Riesling, but the real story will be the individual single vineyards.
Fritzi’s, in West Kelowna, is named after von Mandl’s 101-year-old mother. It faces southeast, sits over white rock and quartz, and delivers wine with rich intensity and that elusive Holy Grail: minerality.
The Naramata Ranch Vineyard rivals any worldwide for natural beauty. Red granite rock over granite bedrock with no grass or cover crop is unique. Described as a bony site, it sits at the far northern end of the Naramata Bench, high above the lake. It’s home to Martin Lane’s oldest Riesling vines, and five blocks of Pinot Noir, each with its own meso-climate and resulting different flavours.
In East Kelowna, the Simes Vineyard, named after the recently retired winemaker that put Mission Hill on the map, is a north-facing site with granitebased soils. Marginal and cool, it seems to build character in the
wine and those who work it. The Mission District site is a poster boy for a sub-appellation, but you get the sense the vineyard will carve out a story more important, should it ever happen.
Martin’s Lane Winery is a special place — from the 1,200-pound, sculptural steel front entry door so perfectly designed you can open it silently with just two fingers, to the exacting topographical placement that funnels cool lake air through the building, providing natural ventilation — it is another spoke in the next Okanagan wheel.
When can you visit? You can’t, at least not yet, but you can become a member of Martin’s Lane Winery, which may be the only way to get your foot in the door. There are no plans to open to the touring public, although the winery will “occasionally be accessible by appointment only.”