Martinelli Vineyards & Winery
3360 River Rd.
Windsor, CA 95492
(707) 525-0570
www.martinelliwinery.com
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Tasting Fees: $12 walk-in tasting to $75 collector’s flight. Many options available.
Wines offered:
2014 Hop Barn Hill Syrah, 2013 Jackass Hill Muscat of Alexandria, 2014 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2013 Three Sisters Vineyard “Sea Ridge Meadow” Chardonnay, 2014 Three Sisters Vineyard “Sea Ridge Meadow” Pinot Noir, 2013 Three Sisters Seaview Ridge Pinot Noir
Reservations: Required for groups of eight or more. Walk-ins welcome
Picnics: Welcome, with terrace seating outside
Pets: Service animals welcome, if accompanied on leashes
Did you Know?
Most of the grapes the Martinelli family produces don’t make it to their production facilities. Ninety percent of their annual crop goes to wineries across the county.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Sunday
Giuseppe Martinelli was only 19 when he eloped with his 16-year-old bride, Luisa Vellutini. Young Giuseppe came from a lineage of Italian winemakers, but that pedigree didn’t satisfy Luisa’s parents, who grew and sold apples in Tuscany. But status didn’t matter to the star-crossed lovers, who escaped their families’ wrath and landed in the Russian River Valley in the 1880s. On a single hill 60 degrees steep, Giuseppe planted Zinfandel and Muscat Alexandria vines. This plot became the heart of Martinelli Vineyards & Winery, which continues to produce for the fifth generation of Martinellis.
“One of the most important things you need to know about this family: we’re farmers first,” says Regina Martinelli, great granddaughter to Giuseppe and executive vice president of the winery. “I learned to tie grapevines when I was six years old. My sister, Julianna, also learned grape and apple farming when she was a child. We learned alongside our brothers. Our parents taught us what to do, and their parents before them did the same, all the way back to Giuseppe and Luisa.” Inside the tasting room, which is partially constructed out of a 1920’s hop barn the Martinellis used for storage, videos, photographs and historical equipment dot the lobby, giving tasters a view of what life was like back in the early 20th century. Most notable is a video of Regina’s father, Lee Martinelli Sr., struggling to keep the family’s John Deere tractor from slipping off the absurdly steep slope of Jackass Hill; the first place Giuseppe planted his grapes. “Can you believe his father didn’t even use a tractor until the 1960’s? They were still using a horse and plow. I think now you see why the name Jackass Hill stuck: Martinellis can be stubborn!” she laughs.
As she led me to a private tasting room, Regina informed me Jackass Hill isn’t the only place they get their grapes. “Over time through marriages and acquisitions, we managed to secure several properties for our farming business and planted grapes,” she says. “While most of them are in the Russian River AVA, we managed to grow several lots of grapes near the coast by Fort Ross-Seaview. The grapes up there behave very differently, due to a lack of nutrients in the soil. The depleted soils are around 80 million years old. While our Russian River wines have a distinct cola, nutmeg and cinnamon profile, the coastal varieties generally bring stronger acidity.”
The tastings started with the 2014 Three Sisters Sea Ridge Chardonnay. A burst of coastal acidity, tempered by an assertive (but not overpowering) oak flavor from its cooperage time, this wine continued to evolve as it warmed to room temperature, with more butter and orange flavors shining through.
Of the Pinot Noirs, we compared a 2013 Three Sisters Seaview Ridge to a 2014 Sonoma Coast, with some fruit grown in the Russian River Valley. The Three Sisters was immediately recognizable for its color, which had a pale, almost brandy-like appearance. Spiced raisins, blackberry preserves and stewed plums gave immense warmth and body. The Sonoma Coast bottle, comparatively, was distinctively floral, with Fuji apple and fresh blackberry notes giving an appropriate tartness to the claret-red wine.
While Martinelli doesn’t produce Cabernet Sauvignon, her workaround for its fans is to introduce them to the 2012 Hop Barn Hill Russian River Valley Syrah. Only 60 cases of this deep tannin, huge minerality, blackcurrant-heavy red was produced, and it’s a powerhouse in the red wine world.
To finish, Martinelli served a chilled glass of 2013 Muscat of Alexandria from Jackass Hill. The vine itself is from the 135-year-old original planted by Giuseppe. On the nose, fresh jasmine and raw honey leads its way to a mellow, sweet nectar wine compares itself to mead. It’s crisp, refreshing and the perfect end to a wonderful day of tasting.
“Life wasn’t easy for Giuseppe and Luisa,” says Martinelli. “They had four children to feed. One time, Luisa nearly got caught illegally hunting game, but got away with it by sticking the bird carcasses up the frock of her dress. I love telling that story because it’s a reminder that everything we have today is the result of hard work and perseverance. It’s the story of pioneers in the Russian River Valley. It’s the story that makes me love my family, and makes me proud to be a Martinelli.”
