Martin Ray house spotlight
MartinRay Winery, the official house channel, walks the Laguna vineyard on Goldridge soil at the Russian River home of this house, the same cellar that bottles this Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2022 Martin Ray Hallberg Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $59.43 and the average is $59.43. Our slash is $27.00.
2022 Martin Ray Hallberg Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Dry-farmed Hallberg Ranch Pinot, raspberry and violet with 95-point silk, a 2022 you can open at twenty-seven dollars.
The 2022 is 100 percent Pinot Noir from Hallberg Ranch: raspberry Melba, cherry blossom, and river rock after 12 months in 30 percent new French oak, now $27.
A single vineyard Pinot that still drinks like perfume, not jam
Hallberg Ranch sits on rolling Goldridge hills where Green Valley meets the Russian River Valley. Night fog, a cool breeze, and swings of up to 30 F keep Pinot in the high-toned lane. The 2022 is 38 percent Pommard and 62 percent Clone 115, fermented in small open tops, basket-pressed, then 12 months in 30 percent new French oak. James Suckling 95. Jeb Dunnuck 91. This is the bottle that argues a 95-point vineyard Pinot can still be a table wine.
The house
Courtney Benham's Martin Ray cellar sits on Laguna Ridge. Leslie Renaud and Raemy Paterson bottle wines of place, including this Hallberg Ranch Pinot.
The wine
100% Pinot Noir, dry-farmed. Small open-top ferments, gentle punch-downs, basket press, 12 months in 30% new French oak. 13.2% ABV.
The scores
James Suckling 95, best through 2034. Jeb Dunnuck 91: cinnamon, toasted cedar, red cherry, dusty earth, weightless tannin.
The drinker
Raspberry and violet first. Serve 55 to 60 F. About 20 minutes of air. Duck with cherry or salmon with mushrooms.
Red fruit in silk, with flowers, stone, and herbs in the margins
The winery note moves from raspberry Melba, cherry blossom, and river rock into pomegranate, fennel, dried violet, lavender, and bay laurel. James Suckling found crushed cherries, cinnamon, a cranberry-orange lift, and fine-grained tannin. The alcohol is 13.2 percent. That is why the wine stays silk instead of weight.
Budbreak arrived early in March. A cold, wet late spring in another drought year, then premature summer warmth and a record-early harvest. Low yields gave lively, fruit-forward wines with balanced tannin.
Raspberry Melba, crushed cherry, cherry blossom, pomegranate, dried violet, lavender, cranberry, orange zest.
Silky, mineral-driven, 13.2% ABV, moderate fine-grained tannin, 12 months in 30% new French oak.
Fennel seed and bay laurel. Serve 55 to 60 F. About 20 minutes of air.
Small lots, a basket press, measured oak
On the Martin Ray sheet, Hallberg lots ferment separately in small open-top fermenters, stay at moderate temperatures, take gentle punch-downs until dry, then go to a basket press. Twelve months in 30 percent new French oak is a frame, not a makeup kit. That is how Hallberg stays floral and mineral.
The blend is 38 percent Pommard and 62 percent Clone 115. Harvest chemistry: 22.9 Brix, 3.53 pH, 5.5 g/L total acidity.
Serve lightly cool. A short splash decant is enough to release perfume without flattening the freshness.
A California name built around wines of place
Hallberg Ranch extends Martin Ray's long-running idea that a specific vineyard should remain legible in the finished wine.
Martin Ray began crafting single-varietal, region-specific wines in 1943. Courtney Benham found 1,500 cases in a San Jose warehouse and bought the brand in 1990.
The modern winery works from a 12-acre Russian River estate at the edge of Green Valley. Leslie Renaud leads the cellar. Raemy Paterson works beside her.
Hallberg Ranch fits that lineage: one dry-farmed site, two Pinot clones, measured oak, and enough cool-climate freshness to carry red-fruit perfume without losing mineral and savory detail.
Two plates that meet its red fruit and savory edge
Duck answers the wine's cherry and spice. Salmon with mushrooms picks up silk, mineral, and woodland savor.
Two plates. One duck with cherry. One salmon with oyster mushrooms. Both can take Hallberg perfume.
Serve 55 to 60 F. A 20-minute splash decant is enough. Air is for violet, not a rescue.
Sweet-Tart Duck Breast with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Crisp-skinned duck, fresh cherries, red wine, balsamic, and honey. Hallberg's most direct plate.
Why it works: Cherry mirrors the wine's red fruit. Balsamic cuts the duck. Fine tannins stay graceful beside the meat.
View Recipe for sweet-tart duck breast with fresh cherry sauce (opens in a new tab)
Roasted Salmon with Oyster Mushrooms in Red Wine
Crisp-skinned salmon, browned oyster mushrooms, shallot, garlic, thyme, and a glossy pan sauce.
Why it works: Salmon matches the Pinot's silk. Mushrooms and thyme echo the mineral-savory side.
View Recipe for roasted salmon with oyster mushrooms in red wine (opens in a new tab)Put this Hallberg Pinot in the cart
James Suckling 95. Dry-farmed Hallberg Ranch. Twenty-seven dollars against a $60 typical retail.
Put it in the cart. This is the Martin Ray Pinot for a table that wants perfume and silk, not a trophy speech.
