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  • Lolita Ranch Syrah 2021

    92 points
    Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
    93 points
    Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck

    VINEYARD

    Lolita Ranch

    VINTAGE2021
    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

    APPELLATIONRussian River Valley
    VARIETALS PLANTEDChardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah
    SOIL INFORMATIONJosephine with lots of Franciscan shale
    SOIL CHARACTERISTICSWell drained, thin soils that are non-vigorous
    ROOTSTOCK101-14, 3309, 420A
    CLONAL SELECTION(CH =17,76) (PN = 777,667) (Zin = JAV, JAH) (Syrah = 877)
    YEAR ACQUIRED2000
    YEAR PLANTED2001
    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.

    WinemakerCourtney Robinett Wagoner
    Consulting WinemakerErin Green
    Cases Produced 111

    Winemaker’s Notes

    Lark Coryell

    November 19, 2023

Martinelli
Winery
3360 RIVER ROAD
WINDSOR, CA
(800) 346-1627
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