Martinelli   2007   CHARDONNAY ZIO TONY RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $50   WHITE   91  
  Martinelli   2007   PINOT NOIR BLUE SLIDE RIDGE   SONOMA COAST   $95   RED   94  
  Martinelli   2007   PINOT NOIR LOLITA RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $60   RED   92  
  Martinelli   2007   PINOT NOIR MOONSHINE RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $60   RED   92  
  Martinelli   2007   PINOT NOIR ZIO TONY RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $60   RED   91  
  Martinelli   2006   SYRAH HOP BARN HILL   RUSSIAN RIVER   $95   RED   94  
  Martinelli   2006   SYRAH CHICO’S HILL   RUSSIAN RIVER   $75   RED   90  
  Martinelli   2006   SYRAH HOP CAMP VINEYARD   RUSSIAN RIVER   $75   RED   91  
  Martinelli   2006   SYRAH LOLITA RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $75   RED   92  
  Martinelli   2007   ZINFANDEL JACKASS VINEYARD   RUSSIAN RIVER   $75   RED   95  
  Martinelli   2007   ZINFANDEL GIUSEPPE AND LUISA   RUSSIAN RIVER   $50   RED   93  
  Martinelli   2007   ZINFANDEL VELLUTINI RANCH   RUSSIAN RIVER   $50   RED   94  
                             
 

The 2007 Chardonnay Zio Tony Ranch offers lovely notes of honeysuckle, white citrus, and nectarines, a layered mouth feel, a full-bodied richness, and a dry, heady finish.  No other 2007 Chardonnays were presented for tasting.

                I saw four 2007 Pinot Noirs.  The 2007 Pinot Noir Moonshine Ranch (created from Dijon Clones 113, 114, and 115) exhibits broad plum, cherry, and clove-like scents, medium to full body, soft tannins, and an attractive fruit intensity.  It is reminiscent of a premier cur from the Cote de Beaune.  Enjoy it over the next several years.  The outstanding 2007 Pinot Noir Lolita Ranch (made from Dijon Clones 667 and 777) reveals notes of forest floor, blueberries, black cherries, and crushed rocks.  It is full-bodied with deep, broad savory flavors, ripe tannin, outstanding length and purity, and a lush finish.  It should drink well for 5-7 years.  Another impressive effort is the dark ruby-hued 2007 Pinot Noir Zio Tony Ranch.  Sweet cherry, raspberry and spice box as well as a mineral component are present in this dark ruby-colored wine.  Full-bodied and nicely layered with good purity, depth, and equilibrium, it can be drunk over the next 5-6 years.  Always the most complex for my olfactory senses is the Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge.  The 2007, made from Dijon clones 667, 777, and 115, exhibits DRC-like aromas of blue and black fruits, raspberries, cherries, forest floor, and spring flowers.  Full-bodied, opulent, broad, and seductive, this lush, heady Pinot can be enjoyed over the next 7-8 years. 

                Martinelli’s Zinfandel portfolio continues to grow, with as many as five different offerings now available.  The 2006 and 2007 Jackass Hill Vineyard cuvees were not tasted at this visit.  However, the other four wines I tasted, all from steep hillside vineyard sites with the newer plantings planted from bud wood of both the Jackass hill and Jackass Vineyards, were brilliant.  They are among the fullest-bodied most distinctive Zinfandels made in California.  The dark ruby/purple tinged 2007 Zinfandel Giuseppe and Luisa offers sweet aromas of plums, roasted meats, pepper, kirsch, roasted herbs, and figs.  This deep, dense, full-bodied effort is a singular, hedonistic style of Zinfandel that should provide immense pleasure over the next 5-6 years.  Absolutely brilliant, the 2007 Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch (a new 7-acre parcel planted with the Jackass Clone) boasts a dense purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of smoked game, roasted herbs, kirsch, black raspberries, plums and figs.  Meaty, gamy, powerful, and full-bodied with extravagant fruit and depth, this is a sensational Zinfandel to drink over the next 5-7 years.  From a steep hillside vineyard, the 2007 Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard reveals enormous quantities of pepper, fruitcake, mincemeat, roasted herbs, black and red fruits, a tremendous smokiness, and an unctuous texture with amazing viscosity as well as richness.  There are slightly fewer than 400 cases of this beauty, which should drink well for a decade or more.

                I tasted five impressive Syrahs from the 2006 vintage, a year that turned out to be very successful for this varietal in the Russian River.  The 2006 Syrah Lolita Ranch exhibits smoky, blackberry, and meaty characteristics, high tannins, but fabulously concentrated fruit that offers notes of tapenade, chocolate, and Chinese black tea.  A tannic finish suggests another 1-2 years of bottle age will be beneficial.  This cuvee should easily last for a decade.  A dense purple color as well as notions of bacon fat/lard, flowers, licorice, and blackberries characterize the 2006 Syrah Zio Tony Ranch.  Full-bodied, powerful, and backward, it needs several years of bottle age, and should keep for 8-10 years.  From a vineyard planted in rocky soils, the 2006 Syrah Hop Camp Vineyard (the debut release for this wine) is a backward, tannic, northern Rhone-like Syrah offering hints of charcuterie/cured meats, black fruits, roasted herbs, and leather.  This full-bodied, powerful effort requires 2-3 years of cellaring, and should be consumed over the following 10-15.  The outstanding 2006 Syrah Chico’s Hill displays enormous quantities of concentrated blackberries, incense, roasted herbs, coffee bean, and meatiness.  It is a huge wine to drink over the next 10 years.  Lastly, the 2006 Syrah Hop Barn Hill, from the rocky slopes near the winery, is another northern Rhone look-alike, with notes of bacon fat, roasted meats, and bouquet gami.  Dense and full-bodied, with hints of black olive, camphor, and earth, this is an intriguing but backward style of Syrah that needs several years of bottle age and should drink nicely for 10-15+ years.