Vellutini Ranch

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.

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.

Abundant aromas of dark chocolate, raspberry compote, and roasted chicory engulf the nose. Balanced acidity compliments the tannins, while flavors of wild blueberry pie and sassafras are present from the first sip to the lasting finish.