Martin Ray was born in Saratoga in 1904. He was nicknamed "Rusty", due to his red hair.

His father, Rev. James Earl Ray, was a Methodist minister and his mother an ardent teetotaller, but in spite of this he developed a fascination with the legendary Paul Massonand his "vineyards in the sky". He befriended first the workers and soon Masson himself, who taught him the principles of viticulture and winemaking. Vowing to one day emulate Masson's lifestyle, he studied at the University of Washington and soon after graduating became a stockbroker, later forming his own successful company. Following the repeal of Prohibition he finally persuaded his mentor to sell him the Paul Masson Champagne Company and, together with his first wife Elsie, ran the company from 1936 until finally agreeing to sell out to Seagrams in 1942. During that time he was an outspoken critic of the Californian wine industry in general, which was producing massive quantities of "jug" wine and instead led a campaign to improve the quality of domestic wine. He was the first to insist on 100% varietal wines, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. He is also credited with introducing the concept of selling futures to the world of wine.

With the proceeds from the sale of the Paul Masson Champagne Company he purchased acreage on the adjoining mountain and established a new winery there. Though he sold the company's assets, buildings and land he retained the company title, which dated back to 1852, and changed the name to the Martin Ray Winery. He continued to produce top quality wines there until 1970.

In the late 1960s Ray attempted to expand the operation following the French "domaine" model. His vision was for several independent vineyards, all on the hillside he dubbed Mount Eden. A separate partnership, Mount Eden Vineyards, was formed and shares were sold to friends and wine enthusiasts. However the partnership subsequently entered difficulties and in the ensuing legal fight Ray ended up losing his entire company and all but 5 acres of the vineyard. That section, the Peter Martin Ray Vineyard, is still owned by the Ray family. The rest is now owned by Mount Eden Vineyards.

The company name was dormant for years before being resurrected by Courtney Benham.

Martin died in January 1976, aged 71. Some years later his second wife Eleanor Raywrote his biography,Vineyards In The Skywhich is still in print. Eleanor continued to live in their house on the mountain until hear death in 2000.

External links

An anecdote of a meeting between Rusty Ray and Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's