jerry D. Murray: PROJECT M WINEMAKER/OWNER
While Jerry's wine journey officially began in 2001, he can see that his entire life was preparation for it.
Born in an agricultural community in Ohio, Jerry spent his summers on hay wagons and in pigpens. He later studied Physiology at Ohio University, completing his bachelor's degree and attending graduate school. He took a position as an anatomy instructor at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Yet, it wasn't long before Jerry realized that he and academia were a square peg and a round hole.
He wanted work that was less cerebral and more creative and required him to "make" something. He eventually moved to New Orleans to learn a trade, such as iron or stonework. Instead, he was seduced by the lure of the kitchen and set out on a culinary career.
In Tucson, Arizona, while working with Chef Alan Zeman at Fuego Restaurant, Jerry developed an interest in wine as he worked with the Sommelier to construct menus for winemaker dinners. When he arrived in Portland, Oregon, wine was no longer something that happened in faraway places. He increasingly toured wine country, walked vineyards, and met winemakers. Then came the moment that sent him on his path.
On May 7th of 2001, Jerry met the legendary David Lett, "Papa Pinot" of the Eyrie Vineyard. In Lett, he met a man of little compromise and realized there might be a place in the world for him in winemaking.
Jerry was hired on at Erath Vineyards for the 2001 vintage. During a late night in the cellar, wet and freezing cold, he realized that his entire life, agriculture, science, and food were leading him to that moment. What followed was an intensive, self-directed, winemaking education. In the Willamette Valley, he spent time at many cellars, among them Panther Creek Cellars and Chehalem Wines. The journey led him to work in New Zealand twice. In 2003, Jerry traveled to the Marlborough region to work at Highfield Estate with Al Soper. He returned in 2004 to Martinborough Vineyard, where he worked with Claire Mulholland. That fall, he completed the year's second harvest at Panther Creek, where he "finished on a Friday and headed to Germany on Sunday," concluding his third harvest for the year with famed Selbach-Oster in the Mosel Valley.
Soon after returning, in the spring of 2005, he was given the opportunity to take over winemaking and vineyard management duties at Patton Valley Vineyard. He honed his skills in his five years there, and his reputation grew. That reputation caught the eye of Van Duzer Vineyard's owner, Carl Thoma, who had recommitted to taking Van Duzer to the next level. Jerry made sweeping changes in Van Duzer's winemaking, farming, and culture.
In the spring of 2013, Jerry was lured away again by another great opportunity. The legendary Champagne Louis Roederer had recently launched a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay project in California's Anderson Valley. Jerry was tapped to head their exciting new project, Domaine Anderson.
Learning that winemakers, like vines, have climates and soils they are best suited to, Jerry and his family returned home to the Willamette Valley and launched PROJECT M to make world-class Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. He also owns élevage consulting, providing advising and custom winemaking services to clients in the Pacific Northwest.
Jerry happily calls McMinnville, Oregon, home. When he isn't making or selling wine, he tries, unsuccessfully, to convince his son, Ford, and daughter, Matilda, that he really does have a cool job.
