Light ruby With aromas of raspberry, cranberry, cherry cola, violets,. This wine has medium tannins, high alcohol, medium acidity, medium body. Flavors of cranberry, cherry, raspberry, chocolate, nutmeg, black licorice. That’s why I’m has a medium plus finish and his good quality.
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Amazing how well these Martinelli Pinot Noirs age, they are structured, balanced, and delicious. A decade in the bottle has really helped integrate the flavors and softened the acids in this wine. Consumed over two days. Aromas of red raspberry and forest floor. Flavors of blackberries and sweet dried cranberries. The finish is long and reminiscent. This wine is at its peak and remains balanced despite being high in alcohol.
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Loamy earthiness up front with a hint of caramel spice underneath to balance. Incredible mouthfeel. Completely silky and smooth without a single rough edge. One of the most viscous wines I have experienced.
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I'm so sad it's my last bottle. This wine has truly come into its own in a way most Pinot Noir never will. If I had another bottle I would drink it tomorrow. Amazing.
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This is another wine where I don't detect all the alcohol of which others complain. Perhaps I am too used to drinking single malts neat as well as Cognac and Armagnac. Anyway, this was a pop and...air, the circumstances not supporting my usual longer decanting. My companion and I drank a chardonnay first while allowing this pinot to air in glass and bottle. On the open it was dense, sweet (not necessarily sugary, but a fruit sweetness), and jammed with cooked fruits among other things. I tried to leave it alone. With another hour and switching to only a mid-sized glass (restaurant's options were poor) the potential of the wine showed. These big Sonoma wines **must** be given time to breathe. If you decant this wine, you should be able to find both that unctuous Turley midpalate (remember who set up the Martinelli program a decade ago) that still manages to seem focused along with a pretty nose, with moderately high intensity and a moderately long finish. This wine started to become broad, rich, and supple, with the fruit and alcohol balancing nicely. On the palate we have a range of black fruits, including some delicious blackberry, with some licorice. This is no cherry bomb and would stand up well to highly seasoned food. If you are not patient enough to decant, I would recommend buying a less intense wine. If you doubt me, I would ask you to try decanting one of these Martinellis (any varietal) for at least 5 hours just once, being sure to taste at the beginning. I drink a variety of wines, but the two rules I follow religiously are: (a) Don't drink whites and Champagnes too cold; and (b) decant all the more intense wines - whether Bordeaux or Super Tuscans or Sonoma - for 3+ hours, and ideally 5 or more, with 8 being helpful on the biggest examples.
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Concur with previous reviews that the alcohol here is a little on the heavy side. Light bodied and fruity. Has a refreshing feel to it... would have been excellent were it not for the high alcohol content making it a little unbalanced.
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Wines of Luxury at Chicago Cut (Chicago Cut): Lots of funk and rich plump fruit. Really nice. Not everyone will enjoy this big kinda over the top style. But it was singing for me. Winner in my book.
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I am done with this! Nothing but Alcohol.....the fruit was a secondary consideration. A perfectly good bottle (read: not corked).....and I dumped it out after 3 sips....The only thing I can figure, is that the wine was cooked.....but since I lost a 100 case cellar in the mid 90's.....I know what happens here....and this did not seem to be the case. Color and clarity were fine....just a bit of grain alcohol mixed with grape juice....All of this after an hour decant.....I am moving away from the super charged wines, to more traditional ones.....
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Popped and let breathe in glass. Nice fruit and spice box on the nose, with some tea leaves as well. The palate matched the nose, with some mild heat on the finish that settled down over time. A nice pinot, but certainly the 15.3% alcohol is noticeable. Enjoyable if you like this style, which we do.
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Aromas complexes, chocolate, fruta e especiarias. Algo mineral, terroso. Bom corpo, acidez baixa, sem afetar o equilibrio. Final persistente e agradavel.
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15.3% alcohol. Medium dark ruby. Deep fruit aromas. Rich blackberry on the palate with some initial heat on entry. Nice mouthfeel and fruit concentration. Lingering aftertaste. Interesting, if a bit overblown. Not sure if more time will help this one.
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This is very typical Russian river Pinot. Is has all the murky clay flavor that I expect from the RR valley. I don't like this style of wine, but I suspect that for those who do, the Martinelli Pinot is good.
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Popped and poured. Typical Martinelli dusty flavors hit right away and the wine opens up and smooths out beautifully after an hour in the bottle. Ready to drink now, but obviously has plenty of life left.
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11/25/2021 - lewisrise wrote: 91 Points
Light ruby With aromas of raspberry, cranberry, cherry cola, violets,. This wine has medium tannins, high alcohol, medium acidity, medium body. Flavors of cranberry, cherry, raspberry, chocolate, nutmeg, black licorice. That’s why I’m has a medium plus finish and his good quality.
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3/24/2020 - bdhanna Likes this wine: 91 Points
Amazing how well these Martinelli Pinot Noirs age, they are structured, balanced, and delicious. A decade in the bottle has really helped integrate the flavors and softened the acids in this wine. Consumed over two days. Aromas of red raspberry and forest floor. Flavors of blackberries and sweet dried cranberries. The finish is long and reminiscent. This wine is at its peak and remains balanced despite being high in alcohol.
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7/11/2016 - WineWright Likes this wine: 90 Points
Loamy earthiness up front with a hint of caramel spice underneath to balance. Incredible mouthfeel. Completely silky and smooth without a single rough edge. One of the most viscous wines I have experienced.
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7/2/2016 - jerbearjb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Signs of age and secondary characteristics shining through. Smooth silky mouthfeel but considerable alcohol on the finish.
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6/14/2016 - Teejay3726 wrote: 95 Points
I'm so sad it's my last bottle. This wine has truly come into its own in a way most Pinot Noir never will. If I had another bottle I would drink it tomorrow. Amazing.
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5/7/2016 - NapaInBaltimore Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding! The Zio Tony is consistently great.
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3/10/2016 - Knicksfan wrote: 93 Points
Getting better; delicious.
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2/25/2016 - NapaInBaltimore Likes this wine: 93 Points
I agree, delicious, but then again I have a long-standing affinity for martinelli, and for some reason I always love the Zio Tony
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8/26/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 92 Points
Right in my zone; delicious
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8/14/2015 - Knicksfan wrote: 92 Points
I love these with about 6-10 years of age and this is no exception; nice balance of fruit and secondary characteristics; in a great place
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1/30/2015 - bistango wrote:
Big juicy wine.
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11/9/2014 - peterk Likes this wine: 91 Points
I loved this wine! Dense and jammy and sweet - very little heat. I'm in the Edwilley3 camp on this one.
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4/1/2014 - no leashes wrote: 88 Points
Nice plum, blueberry flavors, but a tad on the alcoholic side and a bit of syrup texture. Rich, and stood up to thai food.
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3/27/2014 - NapaInBaltimore Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great Russian River pinot! Awesome California fruit without being over the top.
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2/1/2014 - edwilley3 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is another wine where I don't detect all the alcohol of which others complain. Perhaps I am too used to drinking single malts neat as well as Cognac and Armagnac. Anyway, this was a pop and...air, the circumstances not supporting my usual longer decanting. My companion and I drank a chardonnay first while allowing this pinot to air in glass and bottle. On the open it was dense, sweet (not necessarily sugary, but a fruit sweetness), and jammed with cooked fruits among other things. I tried to leave it alone. With another hour and switching to only a mid-sized glass (restaurant's options were poor) the potential of the wine showed. These big Sonoma wines **must** be given time to breathe. If you decant this wine, you should be able to find both that unctuous Turley midpalate (remember who set up the Martinelli program a decade ago) that still manages to seem focused along with a pretty nose, with moderately high intensity and a moderately long finish. This wine started to become broad, rich, and supple, with the fruit and alcohol balancing nicely. On the palate we have a range of black fruits, including some delicious blackberry, with some licorice. This is no cherry bomb and would stand up well to highly seasoned food. If you are not patient enough to decant, I would recommend buying a less intense wine. If you doubt me, I would ask you to try decanting one of these Martinellis (any varietal) for at least 5 hours just once, being sure to taste at the beginning. I drink a variety of wines, but the two rules I follow religiously are: (a) Don't drink whites and Champagnes too cold; and (b) decant all the more intense wines - whether Bordeaux or Super Tuscans or Sonoma - for 3+ hours, and ideally 5 or more, with 8 being helpful on the biggest examples.
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10/3/2013 - DanR wrote:
Hard to get past the alcoholic burn. Not a style I prefer.
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4/6/2013 - jlim.rcsi wrote: 85 Points
Concur with previous reviews that the alcohol here is a little on the heavy side. Light bodied and fruity. Has a refreshing feel to it... would have been excellent were it not for the high alcohol content making it a little unbalanced.
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10/8/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 93 Points
Wines of Luxury at Chicago Cut (Chicago Cut): Lots of funk and rich plump fruit. Really nice. Not everyone will enjoy this big kinda over the top style. But it was singing for me. Winner in my book.
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8/21/2012 - Highlander wrote:
I am done with this! Nothing but Alcohol.....the fruit was a secondary consideration. A perfectly good bottle (read: not corked).....and I dumped it out after 3 sips....The only thing I can figure, is that the wine was cooked.....but since I lost a 100 case cellar in the mid 90's.....I know what happens here....and this did not seem to be the case. Color and clarity were fine....just a bit of grain alcohol mixed with grape juice....All of this after an hour decant.....I am moving away from the super charged wines, to more traditional ones.....
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6/29/2012 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 91 Points
Honeymoon Wine Tasting; 6/25/2012-7/3/2012 (California - Napa & Sonoma Counties): Tasted at Winery. Purple/red in color, with an inviting aroma of ripe red fruit. Flavors included dark red and black fruits with balanced acidity and a smooth finish. Drinking well now, but should continue to evolve.
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5/16/2012 - flwinos wrote: 90 Points
Popped and let breathe in glass. Nice fruit and spice box on the nose, with some tea leaves as well. The palate matched the nose, with some mild heat on the finish that settled down over time. A nice pinot, but certainly the 15.3% alcohol is noticeable. Enjoyable if you like this style, which we do.
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5/12/2012 - rvieirap wrote: 91 Points
Aromas complexes, chocolate, fruta e especiarias. Algo mineral, terroso. Bom corpo, acidez baixa, sem afetar o equilibrio. Final persistente e agradavel.
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4/15/2012 - Mike Dildine wrote: 89 Points
15.3% alcohol. Medium dark ruby. Deep fruit aromas. Rich blackberry on the palate with some initial heat on entry. Nice mouthfeel and fruit concentration. Lingering aftertaste. Interesting, if a bit overblown. Not sure if more time will help this one.
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1/29/2012 - ChinonRouge wrote:
This is very typical Russian river Pinot. Is has all the murky clay flavor that I expect from the RR valley. I don't like this style of wine, but I suspect that for those who do, the Martinelli Pinot is good.
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11/30/2011 - juggernt wrote: 91 Points
Tasted again with consistent notes. If anything, becoming more interestingly darker.
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3/11/2011 - tdh42 wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Typical Martinelli dusty flavors hit right away and the wine opens up and smooths out beautifully after an hour in the bottle. Ready to drink now, but obviously has plenty of life left.
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6/13/2010 - juggernt wrote: 91 Points
Rich and relentless. Will be even better when it's had some time to mellow.
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