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All tasting notes
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.8 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 24 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by M DU VIN on 8/16/2023 & rated 93 points: Great fruit and not really noticeable high alcohol content. Soft and fully mature. Time to drink up as IMO this will not get better than it is today. (131 views) | | | Tasted by peterk on 2/14/2020 & rated 90 points: Gave this two hours of air (last time I did a 24-hour slow ox in the bottle) and served it with Baby back ribs. A magic combination - no heat, and all fruit. I have a couple of bottles left and will consume these soon, as this was delightful and won't improve. (892 views) | | | Tasted by peterk on 6/30/2019: Needed 24 hours of slow ox in the bottle after which this was delightful (958 views) | | | Tasted by Skip4wine on 6/10/2018 & rated 96 points: This proves that Zinfandel can age. Mouth coating feel, and a kind of fake sweetness. Big but restrained. Definitely zin but without the heat or overt fruitiness. (1372 views) | | | Tasted by peterchoy on 8/1/2016 & rated 93 points: Appearance: Bright and clear, it has medium ruby color, with wide fading garnet rims and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium intensity aromas of black fruit of plum, blackberry and bramble, red fruit of strawberry and raspberry, maturity notes of sweet tobacco, animal notes of meaty, oak notes of vanilla and butterscotch, dried fruit of raisin, sweet spice of star anise, pungent spice of white pepper. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium (-) acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and velvety texture, with high alcohol and medium body, medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit of plum and blackberry, dried fruit of raisin, oak notes of vanilla, sweet spice of cinnamon, animal notes of meaty. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality Zinfandel from Russian River Valley, the wine has a highly complex nose of good intensity, and despite the extremely high alcohol level, there is no any burning or even warming sensation upon drinking, with such a great balance in the fruit and flavors with the alcohol and body that is phenomenal. The good concentration in flavors and fairly long finish makes it even more exceptional. Certainly the best Zinfandel I have ever tasted. It is ready to drink now but can maintain for another 3-5 years. (2609 views) | | | Tasted by tcosgriff on 4/30/2016 & rated 89 points: Purple color with a bouquet and flavor that was "essence of raisin." The wine was big-bodied and chewy with an alcohol content that was hard to hide (over 16%). This wine was probably off the edge, even for someone like me who favors clearly etched flavors and wines with real body. It was nevertheless memorable. (2326 views) | | | Tasted by mkmast on 4/19/2015 & rated 91 points: Dinner Party Blind Tasting - This wine surprised me. My previous bottle was somewhat disjunct and showed some heat. Not this one. Although it wasn't mine, it was the WOTN for about half of the group. Very enjoyable. (2305 views) | | | Tasted by Drmarg on 10/13/2014 & rated 92 points: The wow factor claimed by others to be missing is there; just needs time in the cellar to subdue the high alcohol/acid content. Drinking beautifully with even more aging potential. Do not be alarmed by the unusual color when pouring. Think of a giant pinot on steroids. This wine as soft, sweet red berries oozing from every pore with a hoisin-like spicy, black pepper finish. One hell of a flavor combination. Served two bottles to guests paired with smoked chicken. Very well received! All in all, a very unique wine experience. (2438 views) | | | Tasted by cos65 on 8/16/2014: Medium scarlet purple. Rich red raspberry fruit with a healthy dose if alcohol, but didn't seem too hot, with a sweet ripe finish (2182 views) | | | Tasted by mkmast on 9/3/2012 & rated 88 points: Surprisingly light. Looked more like a pinot in the glass. Very understated with some heat on the end. Very atypical for a zin and not similar to the other Martinelli zins I have had. (2918 views) | | | Tasted by kthornton78 on 5/12/2011 & rated 92 points: lighter than you would expect, a translucent amethyst. on the nose, it has developed notes of barnyard and black fruit, reminiscent of a syrah. rich, fruit on the palate, although not cloying. quite enjoyable, and not what one expects from a zin. (3740 views) | | | Tasted by Chriskrueger on 4/6/2011 & rated 92 points: Just a notch below the Vellutini (surprisingly) - very good though missing the wow factor of some other Martinelli's (3215 views) | | | Tasted by spts1000 on 3/13/2011 & rated 90 points: i can't believe i am writing this, but it was a little thin. very smooth and not a sign of the 16.6% alcohol. this was easy to drink. not all that jammy, but an easy drinker. (3052 views) |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2010, IWC Issue #150
(Martinelli Vineyards Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard 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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