Blue Slide Ridge Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, seared lamb chops
✨ Technical Specifications
The Blue Slide Ridge Pinot Noir is sourced from a dramatic, precipitously steep vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview region of the Sonoma Coast. Named for the unique, unstable blue clay slide that defines its topography, this vineyard was planted in 1995 on a ridge that sits above the fog line. This positioning allows the vines to bask in intense sunlight while being cooled by maritime winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The resulting wine is a powerful, deeply concentrated expression of Pinot Noir, crafted using traditional, minimalist techniques including fermentation with wild yeasts and bottling without fining or filtration. It is celebrated for its dark fruit profile, complex mineral undertones, and velvety texture, reflecting the rugged coastal terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Martinelli Winery represents one of the most storied multi-generational viticultural legacies in Sonoma County, dating back to 1887 when Tuscan immigrants Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini first planted vines in the Russian River Valley. The estate's crown jewel remains the famed Jackass Hill—a perilous, non-terraced 60-degree slope planted to historic heritage Zinfandel and Muscat of Alexandria. Across more than 450 acres spanning Russian River Valley and Fort Ross-Seaview, the Martinellis cultivate cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as heritage Zinfandel and Syrah, across Goldridge sandy loam and marine gravel soils influenced by dense Pacific coastal fog. Winemaking emphasizes site fidelity through ambient yeast fermentations, meticulous French oak élevage, and minimal intervention, bottling without fining or filtration. Benchmark bottlings such as Jackass Hill Zinfandel, Three Sisters Chardonnay, and Zio Tony Ranch Pinot Noir capture rich concentration, vibrant acidity, and profound structural depth.
🍇 Grapes
Pinot Noir
🍷 ABV
14.5-15.5%