Wines
Chardonnay | Pinot Noir | Zinfandel | Syrah | Muscat of Alexandria |
The primary goal of Martinelli Winery has always been hand-crafting quality wines that are born in our estate vineyards. Our commitment is to quality. These wines are limited production and each vineyard is hand farmed very carefully, producing only the finest quality fruit.
The Martinelli Family has been growing Chardonnay on our family estate properties for generations. When deciding to what clones to plant, we take into account the soil, climate and terroir for each unique site we own. Our goal is to grow Chardonnay that best reflects the site whether it’s in the Russian River Valley or on the far Sonoma Coast. Our Chardonnays range from crisp, tropical notes to full, rich velvety fruit on the palate depending on the site they are grown.
Our Pinot Noirs show a sense of place by their range in depth, color and flavors. We grow Pinot Noir on our estate properties from the far Sonoma Coast, to the Fort Ross – Seaview AVA, to the Green Valley of Russian River Valley and in the Russian River Valley. Having sites in all these locations allows us to create wines that specifically reflect the nuances of their terroir, giving us a variety of pinots to offer our fans.
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All of our Zinfandel vineyards originate from our heritage Zinfandel vineyards that belonged to Giuseppe & Luisa Martinelli in the 1880s. Our oldest Zinfandel vines are over 140 years old. These vineyards, inherited from our ancestors, are still producing grapes today. We have taken cuttings from these old, old Zinfandel vines to create several of our newer Zinfandel vineyards, because we know the tremendous flavor and mouth feel our heritage vines produce. Its like no other.
We make a Northern Rhône style of Syrah. One that is known for its gamey, sweet meats, bacon fat, tobacco, leather and deep, rich fruit flavors. Our Syrahs age very well for many, many years. We hold them in bottle longer in our cellar before we release them to our Members. Our Syrah becomes available when they are beginning to show their depth, opulent flavors and soft, sweet tannins. Most people do not realize we grow Syrah because we make such small amounts of each, (some as little as 2 barrels), these wines rarely make it beyond our Member’s List.
This rugged section of the ranch 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. These Muscat vines, planted by Giuseppe Martinelli, are interspersed within the old Zinfandel vineyard, and are over 140 years old, head-pruned, and picked separate from the Zinfandel that surrounds it.