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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.6 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 65 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by KWBahamas on 12/19/2022 & rated 93 points: 12 years after bottling, this wine is still drinking beautifully. Inky with intense raspberry and cherry flavors and some smokiness. Wish we had more. (314 views) | | | Tasted by senesd on 8/16/2020 & rated 91 points: blackberry and blueberry in the nose and mouth. excellent balance with fruit and acid and tannin. nice finish - given the alcohol level not hot at all drinking very well right now and likely has 2-3 years (942 views) | | | Tasted by rgkresek on 2/5/2020 & rated 93 points: Sill great fruit. Wis I had some left. (1018 views) | | | Tasted by Thief on 10/7/2018 & rated 93 points: Rich jammy fig, plumb, and dates on the nose with a layered texture on the palate and nice balance. A real treat. (1429 views) | | | Tasted by JSolo on 7/7/2018 & rated 91 points: Seems to have faded. (1321 views) | | | Tasted by JSolo on 5/28/2018 & rated 93 points: High alcohol level was not noticeable. (1359 views) | | | Tasted by JSolo on 10/24/2017 & rated 93 points: Very good, bordering on outstanding. (1261 views) | | | Tasted by PinotPaul on 10/15/2017 & rated 91 points: Wonderful (1128 views) | | | Tasted by cos65 on 9/24/2017: Dark ruby black.
Absolutely in a sweet spot right now.
Big juicy zin that's not subtle, especially at 16.9%!
But that aside this is juicy sweet with surprisingly good balance and very drinkable. Quite nice right now (924 views) | | | Tasted by metcellar on 2/10/2017 & rated 93 points: Delicious grape juice! (1442 views) | | | Tasted by samsneed on 12/31/2016 & rated 92 points: Nice zin plum, cedar and some heat on the finsh. Enjoy over several hours 16.9 abv provides a nice ride! (1127 views) | | | Tasted by samsneed on 5/22/2016 & rated 93 points: Really good zin! Plum and cedar, very powerful! Be careful the 16.9 abv can sneak up on you! (1214 views) | | | Tasted by gwkozar on 3/10/2016 & rated 90 points: Nice wine, simple, short finish, alcohol, not complex. Expected much more. Perhaps a dead phase. (1144 views) | | | Tasted by shotrock1999 on 2/1/2015: 2015 Milwaukee Men's Bonspiel (1885 views) | | | Tasted by shaferguy91 on 12/23/2014 & rated 90 points: A bit too much alcohol showing. (1697 views) | | | Tasted by bemeyer on 11/27/2014 & rated 90 points: nice fruit with a bit of the alcohol coming through. Drink next bottle in 10 months (1553 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 10/6/2014 & rated 93 points: Dinner with Johnny and Chris (Whisk (Chicago, IL)): Nice sweetness to this wine. With some nice air this actually didn't come across like the 16.9% alcohol the label read. Deep dark rich blackberries and spice. Licorice, coal and peppercorns.
Lovely masculine textbook style of Zinfandel but well harnessed with some surprisingly vibrant acidity on the finish. Didn't come across as hot, just chewy and quite voluptuous. (2098 views) | | | Tasted by ebert on 4/6/2014 & rated 90 points: good zin with a good balance but not very complex. (2006 views) | | | Tasted by edwilley3 on 3/30/2014 & rated 92 points: Second bottle in a couple months with a generally consistent score (91-92). This wine needs at least 5 hours of air to show its depth due to the sheer scale of the wine (fruit and alcohol). 8-10 would be my recommendation. Not my favorite of the Martinelli zins, yet this is a rewarding bottle with a large fruit bouquet and - provided it gets air - a certain grace. There are subtle spice notes for me, but this game is all about the broad fruit profile with medium intensity and a fairly long finish. Not jammy (Welch's), unlike the Rombauer tasted the same day. This doesn't play in the league of Turley, but it's a cut above some Ridge bottlings. Also, I didn't think that the alcohol was overwhelming after it was decanted. However, this is *not* a wine that should be drunk on a pop and pour basis. It would be overwhelming and not entirely harmonious, although frankly the nasty Rombauer zin (15.99%) tasted at the same time was more alcoholic in a side by side tasting. I've also had the 2005 Brogan zin with a similar alcohol level (about 17%) and I thought the same thing was true of it. Just don't pop and pour a big zinfandel. (1532 views) | | | Tasted by twoamps on 3/5/2014 & rated 90 points: black cherry, a hint of old oak, and a fair amount of peppery spice. Tons of fruit. Hard to hide the alcohol, though. Don't wait too long to drink. (1309 views) | | | Tasted by DavidDay on 1/6/2014 & rated 90 points: Dark red cherries and leather, very ripe, but the immense fruit carries the 16.9% alcohol. The problem with this wine is what will happen as it ages, I think it should be enjoyed for the present. (1480 views) | | | Tasted by Tom Warden on 10/20/2013 & rated 89 points: This is dense , rich and complex as advertised. Unfortunately the alcohol (16.5%) got in the way of me enjoying it more. A bit too much heat for me. (1601 views) | | | Tasted by Yannisf on 8/10/2013 & rated 93 points: This is a great wine, unique nose and palette (1396 views) | | | Tasted by Chriskrueger on 7/17/2013 & rated 92 points: Almost like a pinot (1344 views) | | | Tasted by peterk on 6/18/2013 & rated 89 points: Dark fruit, spicy. A bit one dimensional. Some heat. Nevertheless very good with spaghetti bolognese. (1329 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma...A Thrill a Minute (Jul 2013)
(Martinelli Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2012, IWC Issue #162
(Martinelli Vineyards Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch Russian River Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Martinelli Producer website
All of the Martinelli Estate vineyards are farmed by Lee Martinelli, Sr., and sons Lee, Jr., and George Martinelli. The wines are made by our winemaker, Helen Turley, and assistant winemaker, Bryan Kvamme. These handcrafted wines are un-fined, un-filtered, neither cold nor heat stabilized and may contain naturally occurring sediment.Zinfandel ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-ZinfandelUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
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