Concrete Chardonnay
Fermented in Concrete Eggs · Native Yeast · Nine Months on the Lees
A California Icon Since 1943
The name Martin Ray runs deep in California winemaking. A true pioneer, Ray championed single-varietal wines decades before they became the standard, crafting them from 1943 to 1972 and leaving behind a legacy that includes some of the state's most revered vineyard sites.
In 1990, Courtney Benham discovered 1,500 cases of Ray's original wines, a find that sparked a mission to revive the brand. Since 2003, Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery has called the Russian River Valley home, operating from one of the oldest continually working wineries in California and devoting itself to Ray's founding ideology: wines of place.
Wines of place, since 1943.
Fermented in Concrete, Shaped by the Egg
This is Chardonnay with nowhere to hide. Hand-harvested to preserve natural acidity, whole-cluster pressed, and sent directly into 476-gallon egg-shaped concrete tanks from Sonoma Cast Stone.
The egg's shape is the secret. Its natural convection keeps the lees in constant, gentle suspension, a built-in vortex that stirs the wine on its own and builds a fuller, more complex mouthfeel without a single stave of oak. Native yeasts drive a slow, steady ferment, and the wine rests on its original lees for nine months, never racked.
No malolactic. No wood. Just texture, tension, and brightness.
The egg stirs the wine on its own.
Mouth-Coating Yet Fresh
Bright and expressive, the wine opens with lifted aromas of Kaffir lime leaf, lemon pith, Asian pear, and delicate daphne blossom. The palate is vibrant and textured, revealing underripe honeydew, lemon curd, and a savory, oyster-shell minerality.
A subtle earthy undertone adds depth, while the finish lingers with almond pastry, Fiori di Sicilia, and a whisper of nutmeg. Mouth-coating yet fresh, this is a compelling expression of concrete-fermented Chardonnay.
Ripe fruit, intense acidity, oyster-shell minerality.
Grown Long, Cool, and Precise
The fruit comes from the coolest sites spanning the Russian River Valley, including the Green Valley and Chalk Hill sub-appellations, where each vineyard carries its own distinct microclimate. Low-lying morning fog gives way to ample afternoon sun, and cool evening breezes swing temperatures 35–40 degrees off the daytime high.
That daily push and pull develops complex fruit while locking in acidity, all rooted in the region's well-drained sandy loam soils: Goldridge, Sebastopol Red, and Blucher. The growing season is long and mild, with slow ripening that keeps the fruit pristine and preserves the delicacy concrete fermentation is designed to showcase. It's why the Russian River Valley remains one of the finest places on earth to grow Chardonnay.
Built to Convert Oak Drinkers
Texture without the wood. Nine months on the lees in concrete delivers the weight oak drinkers crave with the freshness unoaked fans demand. One pour satisfies both guests.
A story your team can serve. Egg-shaped concrete tanks, native yeast, never racked. A thirty-second story that turns a Chardonnay order into a memorable guest moment and a reorder.
A heritage name guests trust. Martin Ray, a California original since 1943, from the heart of the Russian River Valley, one of the world's benchmark Chardonnay regions. Instant credibility on any list, menu, or banquet program.
Versatility across every venue. Raw bar to rooftop, white-tablecloth to stadium club: a crowd-pleasing profile that performs by the glass and by the bottle.
Cool-climate purity, egg-built texture, and a name that helped write the story of California wine.
