Interesting...if a bit sad...story on NickMartin in today's NYTimes:
NYTimes: NickMartin
Most folks don't have a clue as to who NickMartin is. I, of course, followed him from the very start. Back in the early '80's, Calif's first Nebbiolo was released from MartinBrosWnry in PasoRobles. This '82 Nebb, from SanJoaquinVlly grapes, was pretty decent stuff. Nick Martin was the viticulturist & winemaker at MartinBrosWnry. He had a passion for Italian varietals, way back then. He was the first to plant NebbioloLampia (or maybe it was Michet) in the early '80's. I, of course, was convinced that Calif could make great Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo of world class quality that could rival ArturoPelizatti's great Nebbs. I made an appt w/ Nick about '87 or '88 and tasted his first Estate Nebbiolo. Was mightly impressed with it, not Pelizatti quality yet, but a big step in that direction. Bought a bunch of that '86 and had the last one in the late '90's. Mightly impressive. I took an instant liking to Nick and was sure he was on the right track w/ Nebb.
Alas, he had a falling out of the wnry w/ his brother (TomMartin?) and left the wnry to wander around from job to job in Calif and then pretty much vanished from the wine scene; his great potential never realized.
I stumbled across this story today when I saw the grapevines in a little pic. Open it up and it was....Nick Martin. Reinventing himself back in Wamego, KS...a suburb of Manhattan where I went to school at K-State. Anyway...a very interesting read. When I go back to KC in early Jan for my grandsons BD, I plan to head down that way and reconnect w/ Nick. I'd take a btl of that first NebbLampia '86 but, alas, I have none left. Maybe I'll take a Novy instead. It should be fun.
Now you know the rest of the story.
Tom