Chardonnay Lolita Ranch
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 3–8 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
roasted chicken with herbs, lobster thermidor, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Lolita Ranch Chardonnay comes from a steep, east-facing hillside vineyard in the Russian River Valley, planted in 1999 by Lee Martinelli Jr. and George Martinelli. The ranch is named in honor of their aunt, Lolita Martinelli. This unique terroir features well-draining Goldridge sandy loam soils, which naturally limit yields and concentrate flavors. In the cellar, the wine is crafted using traditional, low-intervention methods: whole-cluster pressed, fermented with wild yeasts in French oak barrels, and aged on its lees to develop a rich, creamy texture. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this Chardonnay beautifully balances the bold, ripe stone fruit characteristics of Sonoma County with a vibrant, mineral-driven acidity derived from its hillside exposure.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 1887 by Tuscan immigrants Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini, Martinelli Winery is a historic, family-owned estate nestled in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California. Renowned for its deep agricultural heritage spanning over six generations, the winery is celebrated for farming some of the region's most steep and challenging terroirs, most notably the iconic, near-vertical Jackass Hill vineyard. Under the stewardship of the Martinelli family, the estate employs meticulous hand-farming, dry-farming techniques, and minimalist winemaking practices—such as utilizing native yeasts and bottling unfined and unfiltered—to craft wines of extraordinary concentration and character. Their signature portfolio highlights powerful, old-vine Zinfandels, alongside elegant, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and Syrahs that beautifully express the unique microclimates of Sonoma County.