March 8, 2022 - Have not had a bottle of this wine is a while. One bottle left. This bottle was not particularly good.....in sharp contrast to the earlier bottle. Not sure what is going on, as it has been well stored. Other somewhat recent tastings by cellartracker.com owners reflect a better experience. Those that still have it and have not tried a bottle in a while might want to do so.
December 6, 2020 - Part of a blind tasting with my wine group. At 15.8% alcohol, this was the highest of the night. Everyone enjoyed it, and about half of us had it as their favorite. So often I have been disappointed in Martinelli's Syrahs, but not this time.
February 1, 2020 - Deep purple color with a bouquet and flavor of plums with some rubber but I didn't detect a lot of pepper. A big wine but still well balanced overall with a rather long finish. It went well with the chicken breasts with peas and rice.
September 30, 2019 - This appears to be one of the more consistently well reviewed Martinelli wines I've seen on CT. I suspect, though, that a lot of the people who have tasted this wine are Martinelli fans - nothing wrong with that. I too consider myself a Martinelli fan. I was especially obsessed during the Helen Turley years, but ironically, I've faded Martinelli in recent years, despite the fact that I think their quality now is better than ever. I suspect few Northern Rhone drinkers have reviewed this wine. Stylistically, I think this Vellutini Ranch Syrah is somewhere in between a Martinelli pinot and a high-quality Aussie shiraz. Definitely not a Cali syrah like Alban or SQN, for example. It is sweet, savory with definite black pepper/spice elements. The alcohol does start to come through after an hour or so. While I'm not sure I would consider this varietally correct (what does that mean for syrah anyways?) I have to say that it is very tasty and hard for me to stop sipping.
April 19, 2019 - Had this after a bunch of Pinot Noirs, at the end of a dinner. Out of the Martinelli Syrahs, this is usually my favorite.
February 24, 2019 - Popped 'n poured with my wine group. No real notes, bu it was part of Spanish and California "Rhone grapes from other places" night. Our 2nd favorite of the night.
August 17, 2018 - Dark purple
Very ripe and still a bit raw.
Very tasty, but I’d like to see this settle down a bit further before the next bottle
June 3, 2018 - This is a huge California Syrah. Rich, smokey, with layers of blueberries, cocoa and cedar. Not a very complex wine, but not there is definitely development in the glass over time with multiple notes. I really enjoyed this one.
June 14, 2017 - Popped 'N Poured with 9 others from my wine group, in a "Big Red" tasting. 6 wines. This may have been the WOTN.
August 19, 2016 - Really terrific new world Syrah. Amazing actually.