6 Questions with Louis M. Martini Winemaker Michael Eddy

Apr. 25, 2017

Michael Eddy’s entry into the world of winemaking began in college by honing a similar, but much different craft – brewing beer.

 

“I started home brewing because beer was accessible and I could afford it,” said Michael Eddy, Director of Winemaking at Louis M. Martini Winery. “Home brewing brought together what I enjoyed, which was beverages and organic chemistry. That was a turning point for me.”

 

While studying biology at Humboldt State University, Eddy worked at a restaurant where he was able to combine his intellect and interest in alcohol to help guide the beverage program. The owners let him taste the wines they considered for the wine list, and experience getting to know the world of wine convinced Eddy that it was the industry for him.

 

Now Eddy is the leader of Louis M. Martini Winery, and his continued interest in experimenting with new flavors is reflected in the Napa Valley winery’s award-winning portfolio. We were thrilled to catch up with Eddy to learn about the latest Louis news and his vino adventures in northern California.

 

You’ve been the winemaker in charge at Louis since 2015. How has your first few years leading the brand gone, and what have been some of your biggest innovations thus far?

The reality is, I’ve been working on Martini wines for over a decade, so it doesn’t really feel that new to me. In fact, as we saw that Mike Martini was going to retire, it was a gradual transition. For me, the innovation is really around refining the techniques and tools we’ve developed. Gallo purchased Louis Martini Winery in 2002 and started investing in the winery and production side in the early 2000s, so what we’ve been doing is continuing to refine all those things and getting the minute details right.

 

Louis has such a diverse portfolio – ranging from $20 bottles to more luxurious expressions. Can you speak to what makes your portfolio such a unique entry into the wine industry?

The cool thing about wine is that everybody’s palate’s different. Even for one palate, there are different occasions where people want to spend more or less money, want something more or less special and striking, and that’s really what we’re trying to provide. I think we have a unique set of assets to do that, especially with the Monte Rosso Vineyard. We really can provide a wide range of experiences for wine drinkers, starting with a classic representation of Cabernet from Sonoma County, which from a price point is semi-entry level, so it’s reasonably affordable.

 

Louis has been making wine in the Napa Valley since Prohibition. How has the brand evolved over that time?

For me, I think the partnering of the Martini and Gallo family was critical, and really more or less a renaissance for the winery. The Martini family really knew how to make wine, but they struggled a little on the business end and didn’t have the funds to continue to develop the winery, and that’s where Gallo was able to come in and really restore the winery to what it should be. In fact, next spring we’ll open a new visitors’ center that cost many millions of dollars to renovate. It’ll be the original 1933 building all restored. We’ll have amphitheater seating for food, wine and education.

 

Tell us about what it’s like growing in northern California vineyards. How is that region reflected from a flavor standpoint in the final product?

Generally speaking, the north coast of California is a bit of a sweet spot in terms of cool air influence, but warm enough to ripen grapes consistently. There are certainly other regions of the world that are cooler and in good vintages, and can produce some really outstanding wines, but there’s a balance point there because when you get too cool, you can struggle with some vintages. It’s easy for me to say, but I think we sit in kind of a sweet spot where we can consistently get fruit ripe. We have enough cool air influence from the bay and the ocean to moderate some of that heat during the summer so you don’t get burnt out flavors.

 

You’re well-known for your Cabs. What do you love most about Cabs? And from a production standpoint, how does it differ from producing other varietals?

As a winemaker, Cabernet is what’s most familiar to me. I’ve spent more time with Cabernet in my career than any other variety. My first winery after getting my master’s degree was Beaulieu Vineyard, which has been around since the 30s as well and known for Cabernet. I’ve been fortunate to fall in some places that really know a lot about crafting Cabernet and have great vineyards, so it feels the most familiar to me. Probably as a result, I think Cabernet is not that hard to make, compared to some other varietals. It’s also fairly malleable. You can do a lot of different things with a Cabernet from the vineyard to the winery to kind of craft different wine styles, so you really can steer it a lot of directions. I really enjoy that, as opposed to something that’s a little more static and hard to influence. Makes my job more rewarding to be able to steer the wines in different directions.

 

As a wine drinker, I’m actually not that fond of really young Cabernet. Cabernet, for me, in the 8 to 15 year-old range, is really fascinating. I think that’s because you start to unveil a lot of layers. Cabernet can have a lot of complexity to it, especially with a little time in bottle. But it also starts to soften. You still have that weight and richness that body that Cabernet is known for, but some silkier mouthfeel. That’s what I like about Cabernet.

 

What are some of the wines that you’re referring to as potentially tougher to make than a Cabernet?

I think, from a technical standpoint, that Zinfandel is actually the hardest to make. Zinfandel isn’t necessary that hard to get the quality, but for instance, it tends to stick during fermentation so you have to be reasonably sharp with your fermentation management, yeast management, to keep it from sticking and potentially spoiling. You’re usually dealing with high alcohol levels, which technically is a little bit harder. From a non-technical standpoint, Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is quite easy to make, technically—it ferments really readily and very rarely sticks, but Pinot Noir is very sensitive to what you do to it in the winery. It’s driven a lot more by sight and viticulture and winery practice. It’s very difficult to steer it in dramatically different stylistic directions. 

 

*Photo Courtesy of https://www.louismartini.com/