| VINEYARD |
Giuseppe & Luisa | ||||||||||||||||
| VINTAGE | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
| ABOUT THIS WINE | Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli planted three acres of Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley in the 1880s.The old vineyard is now known as Jackass Hill and remains the steepest non-terraced hillside vineyard in Sonoma County. Nearly one century later Giuseppe and Luisa’s grandson, Lee Martinelli Sr., followed in their footsteps by planting a Zinfandel vineyard. He grafted bud wood from the centurion vines onto low-vigor rootstocks and planted them one meter by two meters apart, equating to about 2,000 vines per acre, on a rocky knoll above the Martinelli Winery Tasting Room in Russian River Valley. | ||||||||||||||||
| GROWING YEAR INFO | The year 2024 provided much-needed relief and a welcome return to normalcy following the extreme temperatures of 2022 and 2023. The growing season was nearly ideal, beginning with a cool spring and transitioning into a warm, yet not excessively hot, summer. Abundant rainfall throughout the season fostered even and robust cluster development. While a brief heatwave occurred in early October, the ample water availability helped mitigate its impact. Unlike the challenges faced in 2023, this year saw no significant rain events during harvest. We are thrilled to share this exceptional vintage with you. | ||||||||||||||||
| VINEYARD DETAILS | SPECIFICATIONS
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| Tasting Notes | The wine opens with inviting aromas of ripe black cherry and Santa Rosa plum, intertwined with subtle, warming spices that evoke a sense of comfort. A lively, bright entry flows seamlessly into a well-balanced mid-palate, where vibrant cherry tart and succulent plum notes take center stage. The wine’s harmonious structure persists across the entire palate, culminating in a mouthwatering finish accented by delicate hints of lingering milk chocolate shavings. | ||||||||||||||||
| Winemaker | Courtney Robinett Wagoner | ||||||||||||||||
| Consulting Winemaker | Erin Green | ||||||||||||||||
| Cases Produced | 1690 |
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Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel 2024
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Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel 2024
97 Points
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck
95 Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
VINEYARD Jackass Vineyard
VINTAGE 2024 ABOUT THIS WINE This eight-acre vineyard was planted in the early 1800s, which makes it our oldest vineyard, and is located just south of our famed Jackass Hill Vineyard. These old, head-pruned vines are farmed much the same way as they were a century ago; without the use of trellising, irrigation or pesticides. Common to this area, it has both Goldridge and Franciscan soil types.
GROWING YEAR INFO The year 2024 provided much-needed relief and a welcome return to normalcy following the extreme temperatures of 2022 and 2023. The growing season was nearly ideal, beginning with a cool spring and transitioning into a warm, yet not excessively hot, summer. Abundant rainfall throughout the season fostered even and robust cluster development. While a brief heatwave occurred in early October, the ample water availability helped mitigate its impact. Unlike the challenges faced in 2023, this year saw no significant rain events during harvest. We are thrilled to share this exceptional vintage with you.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Zinfandel SOIL INFORMATION Franciscan, Goldridge SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Fractured bed-rock, Clay loam ROOTSTOCK St. George YEAR ACQUIRED 1880 YEAR PLANTED 1883 Tasting Notes Lush and rich in the nose with aromas of blackberries, sweet oak and slight note of fresh herbs. The appealing texture in the mouth complements the concentrated flavors of fresh black plums, coffee, and dark chocolate. The ever-expanding finish is dominated by dark fruit.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 219 -
Jackass Hill Zinfandel 2024
97 Points
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck
95+ Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
VINEYARD Jackass Hill
VINTAGE 2024 ABOUT THIS WINE This rugged vineyard is referred to by the Martinelli family as “Jackass Hill”, because only a jackass would farm a hill that steep. Jackass Hill is the steepest non-terraced hillside vineyard in Sonoma County, boasting slopes of 65 degrees. Lee Sr. is the third generation Martinelli farmer to care-take the original family homestead land; farming the ancient vineyard much as his grandfather Giuseppe had in the 1880s, without irrigation, pesticides or trellising.
GROWING YEAR INFO The year 2024 provided much-needed relief and a welcome return to normalcy following the extreme temperatures of 2022 and 2023. The growing season was nearly ideal, beginning with a cool spring and transitioning into a warm, yet not excessively hot, summer. Abundant rainfall throughout the season fostered even and robust cluster development. While a brief heatwave occurred in early October, the ample water availability helped mitigate its impact. Unlike the challenges faced in 2023, this year saw no significant rain events during harvest. We are thrilled to share this exceptional vintage with you.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Zinfandel, Muscat SOIL INFORMATION Josephine and Goldridge SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Fractured bed-rock, Clay Loam ROOTSTOCK St. George YEAR ACQUIRED 1889 YEAR PLANTED 1890 Tasting Notes Captivating on the nose with aromatics of stone fruits, raspberry cordial, and a whisper of cola. Almost paradoxical in the mouth with elegant tannins and supple flavors of red currents, raspberry and integrated oak. The finish is refined and lingering with fresh white peach.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 106 -
Vellutini Ranch Syrah 2022
2021 Vintage
93+ Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
2020 Vintage
95 Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
VINEYARD Vellutini Ranch
VINTAGE 2022 ABOUT THIS WINE Vellutini Ranch vineyard borders Jackass Vineyard and the backside of Jackass Hill. It is named after Luisa Martinelli’s family, the Vellutini’s who lived on this property. Albert Vellutini was Lee Sr.’s age and they used to fish in the streams and hide from the truant officer when they were kids on this property. They had more fun playing cat and mouse with the truant officer who did not know the creeks and valleys as well as they did.
GROWING YEAR INFO The 2022 season started out with ideal conditions with early rains helping to push bud break into Spring. While we encountered instances of shatter (a grape berry fails to develop because of incomplete pollination) due to frost, this was limited to specific vineyards. Meticulous attention was given to addressing this issue, as we diligently assessed each block and thinned any clusters affected by shatter. Thankfully, the summer months offered the optimal combination of warm days and perfectly cool nights. However, Labor Day weekend launched what has been marked as one of the most heat-intensive 7-day periods on record for Sonoma County, resulting in a significant number of vineyards reaching their ripening stage simultaneously.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Zinfandel, Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Hugo with Josephine SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Sandstone with Shale ROOTSTOCK 420A CLONAL SELECTION ZN = Jackass Hill and Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel budwood YEAR ACQUIRED 1999 YEAR PLANTED 2001, 2002, 2003 Tasting Notes Rich aromas of black cherry, sweet leather, and boysenberry pie are present in the nose. A well-composed entry with flavors of raspberry compote and integrated baking spices are present throughout the palate. Dark flesh plum flavor enhances the graceful, long finish.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 94 -
Chico’s Hill Syrah 2023
VINEYARD Chico's Hill
VINTAGE 2023 ABOUT THIS WINE Chico’s Hill is a one acre vineyard on an easterly facing slope. It has a great soil profile which is predominantly fractured rock. Fractured rock makes for great growing conditions because the rock warms the earth by the early morning sun, stimulating vine growth, and in addition, rain water penetrates the soil depth easily and drains off. The landscape is long and narrow with a 45 degree slope, and was where Julianna Martinelli’s horse, Chico, was stabled when she was a child. The rows are oriented in a north-south direction to equalize sunlight exposure on both sides of the canopy morning and afternoon. For vine training we installed a vertical trellis system with fruit wire sitting 22 inches above ground level, encouraging consistent ripening of the grape clusters. The vineyard consists solely of clone 877.
GROWING YEAR INFO When we look back at the 2023 growing season there are two words that perfectly describe the vintage – late and big. After an exceptionally wet and cool winter, bud break happened over a month later than average. Our first day of picking was the day after the harvest completed the previous year. Fruit set was excellent and the temps during the summer were moderate to cool, with very few days in the triple digits. What a contrast from 2022! Mild temperatures along with abundantly available water allowed the clusters to develop slowly and evenly.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Franciscan SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Clay loam ROOTSTOCK 420 BUDWOOD 877 YEAR PLANTED 2001 Tasting Notes Refreshingly sweet on the nose with dark cherry, chicory, and sweet anise aromas. The supple flavors of black cherry and rhubarb enhance the velvet tannins in the mouth. Whispers of vanilla bean complement the cinnamon stick finish.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 44 -
Lolita Ranch Syrah 2021
92 points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
93 points
Audrey Frick, Jeb DunnuckVINEYARD Lolita Ranch
VINTAGE 2021 ABOUT THIS WINE The Lolita Ranch is located on Martinelli Road in Forestville. The property was part of the original Martinelli Homestead Ranch, belonging to Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli who purchased the steep, forested land in the late 1800’s. Later, their eldest son Fred sold the parcel to his neighbor, Lolita Young’s mother. Eventually Bob and Lolita Young inherited it, and ran a herd of cattle on the land for many years. Lee Martinelli Jr. and his wife Pamela acquired the property in 1999 from Bob Young after Lolita’s passing, returning it back to the Martinelli estate and to the family’s continuing century-long legacy of viticulture. Lee Jr. decided to name the ranch after Lolita and planted the steep hillside in 2001 with four different grape varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel.
GROWING YEAR INFO 2021 was the driest year on record since they started keeping records 127 years ago. It was also the third year of drought conditions for Sonoma County. Contrary to these conditions, the summer was relatively cool and started two weeks later than the previous year. The drought conditions did bring ripeness to each of our varieties at just about the same time. By the end of the first week, we had 40% of the total tonnage in the winery. This included Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel from both Fort Ross-Seaview and Russian River Valley. Despite being a very compact harvest, small clusters and berry size have yielded exceptional quality which makes 2021 a standout vintage.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Josephine with lots of Franciscan shale SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Well drained, thin soils that are non-vigorous ROOTSTOCK 101-14, 3309, 420A CLONAL SELECTION (CH =17,76) (PN = 777,667) (Zin = JAV, JAH) (Syrah = 877) YEAR ACQUIRED 2000 YEAR PLANTED 2001 Tasting Notes Very fragrant nose with aromas of violets, milk chocolate, and blackberry compote. Balanced tannins and enticing acid on the mouth with flavors of wild berries and coffee. Long structured finish ends with Montmorency cherry.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 111 -
Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel 2024
94 Points
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck
93 Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
VINEYARD Vellutini Ranch
VINTAGE 2024 ABOUT THIS WINE The Vellutini Ranch is bordered on the east by Jackass Hill and on the south by Jackass Vineyard, and was planted with bud wood from both of these vineyards. This seven acre vineyard was planted in 1999, and is planted to both Zinfandel and Syrah grapes.
GROWING YEAR INFO The year 2024 provided much-needed relief and a welcome return to normalcy following the extreme temperatures of 2022 and 2023. The growing season was nearly ideal, beginning with a cool spring and transitioning into a warm, yet not excessively hot, summer. Abundant rainfall throughout the season fostered even and robust cluster development. While a brief heatwave occurred in early October, the ample water availability helped mitigate its impact. Unlike the challenges faced in 2023, this year saw no significant rain events during harvest. We are thrilled to share this exceptional vintage with you.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Zinfandel, Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Hugo with Josephine SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Sandstone with Shale ROOTSTOCK 420A CLONAL SELECTION Jackass Hill and Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel budwood YEAR ACQUIRED 1999 YEAR PLANTED 2001, 2002, 2003 Tasting Notes Complex aromas of raspberry tea, blood orange, and white peach are found on the nose. Earthy upon entry with flavorful notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, and black cherry tart. The long, austere finish is accented with a hint of cassis.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 246 -
Vigneto di Evo Zinfandel 2023
VINEYARD Multiple Vineyards
VINTAGE 2023 ABOUT THIS WINE Vigneto Di Evo Zinfandel is a barrel-blend from select Martinelli single vineyard zinfandel sites: Jackass, Vellutini, Lolita and Giuseppe & Luisa. This bottling is named for Evo Martinelli, who was raised on Martinelli Road. He was Lee Sr.’s first cousin, the son of Fred Martinelli. Evo gave Lee Sr. one of his first jobs out of the vineyard and instilled the importance of going to college in him as a young man.
GROWING YEAR INFO When we look back at the 2023 growing season there are two words that perfectly describe the vintage – late and big. After an exceptionally wet and cool winter, bud break happened over a month later than average. Our first day of picking was the day after the harvest completed the previous year. Fruit set was excellent and the temps during the summer were moderate to cool, with very few days in the triple digits. What a contrast from 2022! Mild temperatures along with abundantly available water allowed the clusters to develop slowly and evenly.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
VINEYARD DETAILS Our Vellutini, Lolita and Giuseppe & Luisa vineyards were planted with cuttings from our 135 year-old Jackass Zinfandel clones. These vineyards are grown in cool regions of the Russian River Valley, allowing the deeper, dark flavors to develop in the grapes versus black pepper, characteristic of warmer vineyard sites. Tasting Notes The nose is vibrant, with sweet notes of raspberry, dark cherry, and molasses. On the palate, it’s immediately mouthwatering, revealing flavors of red currant and pomegranate. Balanced tannins support lively acidity, complemented by subtle rhubarb undertones. The wine culminates in a smooth, lingering finish of vanilla cream.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 1,600 -
Hop Barn Hill Syrah 2021
VINEYARD Hop Barn Hill
VINTAGE 2021 ABOUT THIS WINE Hop Barn Hill was purchased by Uncle Tony Bondi in the late 1950s. It was one of the last remaining hop ranches. Uncle Tony purchased it with the intention of paving it over to put a trailer park on it. These were very fashionable and profitable ventures in the 1950s. He had the plans drawn, yet unfortunately he died in a freak tractor accident before he could implement his vision. Thankfully for us, Lee Sr. inherited the property and kept farming the apple orchards and vineyards currently on it. Later Lee Sr. created his own vision for the property and renovated the old Hop Kiln as our winery and the old Hop Barn as our tasting room in the 1980s, which we still use today.
GROWING YEAR INFO 2021 was the driest year on record since they started keeping records 127 years ago. It was also the third year of drought conditions for Sonoma County. Contrary to these conditions, the summer was relatively cool and started two weeks later than the previous year. The drought conditions did bring ripeness to each of our varieties at just about the same time. By the end of the first week, we had 40% of the total tonnage in the winery. This included Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel from both Fort Ross-Seaview and Russian River Valley. Despite being a very compact harvest, small clusters and berry size have yielded exceptional quality which makes 2021 a standout vintage.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Huichicha SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Clay ROOTSTOCK 420 YEAR ACQUIRED 1961 YEAR PLANTED 1996 Tasting Notes Complex aromas of blueberries, sweet tobacco, and Amarena cherries are found in the nose.
Layered tannins enhance the full palate with flavors of ripe cherry and barrel spice. A touch of fresh ground coffee is present in the lengthy finish.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 35 -
Lolita Ranch Zinfandel 2024
94 Points
Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
94 Points
Audrey Frick, Jeb DunnuckVINEYARD Lolita Ranch
VINTAGE 2024 ABOUT THIS WINE The Lolita Ranch is located on Martinelli Road in Forestville. The property was part of the original Martinelli Homestead Ranch, belonging to Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli who purchased the steep, forested land in the late 1800’s. Later, their eldest son Fred sold the parcel to his neighbor, Lolita Young’s mother. Eventually Bob and Lolita Young inherited it, and ran a herd of cattle on the land for many years. Lee Martinelli Jr. and his wife Pamela acquired the property in 1999 from Bob Young after Lolita’s passing, returning it back to the Martinelli estate and to the family’s continuing century-long legacy of viticulture. Lee Jr. at that time decided to name the ranch after Lolita. Lee Jr. planted the steep hillside in 2001 with four different grape varietals: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel.
GROWING YEAR INFO The year 2024 provided much-needed relief and a welcome return to normalcy following the extreme temperatures of 2022 and 2023. The growing season was nearly ideal, beginning with a cool spring and transitioning into a warm, yet not excessively hot, summer. Abundant rainfall throughout the season fostered even and robust cluster development. While a brief heatwave occurred in early October, the ample water availability helped mitigate its impact. Unlike the challenges faced in 2023, this year saw no significant rain events during harvest. We are thrilled to share this exceptional vintage with you.
VINEYARD DETAILS SPECIFICATIONS
APPELLATION Russian River Valley VARIETALS PLANTED Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah SOIL INFORMATION Josephine and Goldridge SOIL CHARACTERISTICS Well drained and some clay loam ROOTSTOCK AXR and St. George YEAR ACQUIRED 2000 YEAR PLANTED 2001 Tasting Notes Deep aromatics of raspberries, vanilla bean, and violets lift from the glass. Layered acidity on the palate with sweet flavors of pomegranate, wild cherry hard candy, and fresh whipped cream. Finishing energetically with a hint of red plum skin.
Winemaker Courtney Robinett Wagoner Consulting Winemaker Erin Green Cases Produced 239
