We are deeply saddened by the loss of our Maison l’Envoyé co-founder and business partner, Mark Tarlov.
Following a successful career as a sought after Hollywood film producer and director, he leapt into the world of winemaking in 2005, finding early acclaim with his inaugural Oregon project, Evening Land.
In 2011, Old Bridge Cellars’ Gavin Speight and Rob Buono met Tarlov through a mutual friend and the three quickly realized a shared an interest in working together in Burgundy and the Cru’s of Beaujolais. This led to Old Bridge Cellars investing further with Mark to develop Maison l’Envoye in Oregon, established to explore the great Pinot Noir sites of the Willamette Valley and beyond.
Mark’s quest to unearth the secrets of the soil, to understand the ‘why’s’ of what made particular sites so unique and to be able to make such memorable wines, led to the early label experiments based on volcanic (the Fire) and sedimentary (the Flood) soil structures. It saw him enlist such luminaries as Burgundian Grand Cru grower Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Chilean soil specialist Pedro Parra, vintner Felipe Ramirez and even MIT yeast specialist Jean-François Hame as he pushed for deeper knowledge of what was happening in the vineyards beneath his feet, and how that translated to the aromas and flavors he would see in the eventual wine.
His ultimate belief that that it would be the minerally, rocky, basalt laden sites that would yield the greatest expressions of Oregon Pinot, saw him commence an even deeper and more precise exploration of the land with his final project, Rose & Arrow.
Mark perceived the world of wine very differently to most. His creative genius, restless determination and ability to inspire those around him to look beyond the norm will long be remembered.
We farewell a good friend.