Green valley of Russian river valley

Bondi Home Ranch is where Lee Martinelli Sr.’s maternal grandparents, Gemma & Paulo Bondi, settled down when they immigrated from Italy. It’s in the town of Sebastopol, in the Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA. The Bondi’s bought this property in the late 1890s and first planted potatoes on its Gold Ridge soil, famous for this area. That first crop of potatoes grew over 1 foot long each, allowing the Bondi’s to pay off the mortgage of this property that first year. Later they planted apples on this land. They were apple ranchers for many, many years. Tony Bondi, Lee Sr.’s uncle, continued to buy more land and plant apple orchards. He was one of the largest apple ranchers in Sonoma County at one point. The original house still stands on this property, and now houses a 5th generation Martinelli and her family. The property is planted to 17 acres of Pinot Noir grapes.