The Ajax Cellars Willamette Valley wines are a collaboration between Evan Martin, a leader in site-driven and lifted wines, and Sommelier Greg Van Wagner. Evan is a superstar of the Willamette wine scene, now receiving praise from all corners of the sommelier, consumer, and wine-critic worlds. Greg is an Aspen local of 13 years, running wine programs at Jimmy’s and Parc Aspen, and passed the Master Sommelier exam in 2018 with the distinction of the Krug Cup.
Our Story
Each spring, we taste through the cellar to produce a prestige assemblage of top-tier vineyard and barrel expressions. Over time, we refine the blend to have each vineyard complement the wine’s focus and craft a wine unique from the sum of its components. Ajax Cellars is a wine of limited availability as we only make it when the conditions are perfect. The idea for this collaboration came during an ideal ski day while riding up Lift 1A on Aspen Mountain, depicted on the label inside the Aspen leaf.
The 2021 vintage of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is fascinating and classic to the Willamette Valley style and suits our winemaking style perfectly. The Chardonnay is bright, focused, and displays fresh aromatics of Meyer lemon, white roses, and oyster shell. The Pinot Noir shows Morello cherry, exotic spice, and pine forest flavors and pairs beautifully with salmon, duck, and mushroom pasta.
Winemaking Notes
Chardonnay
○Blended from the Pearlstad, Yamhill Valley, and Koosah vineyards.
○Whole-cluster pressed with native-yeast fermentation and oxidative juice handling.
○Aged 12 months in 6-10 year 228L barrels, 13% abv.
Pinot Noir
○Blended from the Jessie James, Koosah, and Hyland vineyards.
○10% Whole-cluster, all in small open-top fermentors, 24 days on skins.
○Aged 14 months in 4-5 year 228L barrel, 13.5% abv.