A History of Innovation

Louis M. Martini, an Italian immigrant and a colorful entrepreneur, built the winery that bears his name in the Napa Valley in 1933. At a time when California had little international recognition for its wine, Louis dedicated his new winery to making fine wines and he acquired vineyard land in Napa and Sonoma that was suitable for growing premium wine grapes. These bold moves were characteristic of the enterprising vintner, and his focus on quality and innovation has been passed down through three generations of Martini ownership and winemaking.

Born near Genoa, Italy in 1887, Louis arrived in San Francisco in 1899 at the age of 12. He worked with his father in the fish business in San Francisco, before moving to Livermore to try their hand at winemaking. Louis later founded his own company, the L.M. Martini Grape Products Co. in Kingsburg, California in 1922. Considering the chilling effects of Prohibition, Louis did a brisk business selling grape juice and concentrates, as well as sacramental and medicinal wines. However, his ultimate interest lay with making premium table wines, which prompted his move to the Napa Valley just before the repeal of Prohibition.

Louis' innovative winery in St. Helena was built with a cold fermentation room, an array of cooperage for aging and an underground cellar. He also bought two premium vineyard properties, Monte Rosso in the mountains above Sonoma Valley and La Loma in the cool Carneros district south of Napa. These assets enabled Louis to make an outstanding selection of varietal wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Barbera, which he properly aged and then released to the public in 1940. He was among the first California vintners to make vintage-dated varietal wines in quantity, and he quickly developed a reputation as an accomplished winemaker and businessman.

At the end of World War II, Louis was joined at the winery by his son, Louis P. Martini, who had studied enology at the University of California before entering the Air Force. Louis P. had a keen interest in viticulture and shared his father's passion for making premium wines. In 1954, he became the second-generation winemaker at the winery and ultimately emerged alongside his father as one of California's true wine pioneers.

Louis P. Martini made great strides in improving California grape quality in the 1950s and '60s through his grapevine clonal selection work. He developed vineyards in Carneros long before it was recognized as a top growing region, and he made the first varietal Merlot in the U.S. with his 1968/70 bottling. Louis was one of the early pioneers of mechanical harvesting, and the sherry solera he began developing in the 1950s is one of the oldest and finest soleras in the state.

When Louis M. Martini died in 1974, the lines of succession at this distinguished family winery were already formed. Louis P. Martini had taken over from his father as president a few years earlier, and his children had already expressed interest in working at the winery. In 1975, daughter Carolyn Martini joined the business, and in 1977, son Michael Martini returned to the winery after graduating from U.C. Davis, becoming the third-generation Martini winemaker.

Michael Martini brought his own individual style to the wines of Louis M. Martini. He continued the traditional family emphasis on making wines that were beautifully balanced, approachable and expressive of their exceptional vineyard pedigree. But he also introduced new wines, such as the now-famous Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon and the highly regarded Reserve wines from family vineyards in the Napa and Russian River valleys.

Today, the third generation of Martinis runs the winery, with Carolyn Martini as Managing Director and Michael Martini overseeing winemaking.

Louis M. Martini Winery

Mailing: P.O. Box 112
St. Helena, CA 94574

Shipping/Physical: 254 South St. Helena Highway
St. Helena, CA 94574

East Side of California State Highway 29, 1 mile south of town of St. Helena
in Napa Valley, California.

Telephone: 707 963-2736 or 1 800 321-WINE
Fax: 707 963-8750