Louisa And Guiseppe Zinfandel
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
barbecued pork ribs, grilled lamb chops, aged cheddar cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted as a heartfelt tribute to the estate's pioneering founders, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini, who eloped from Tuscany to California in the late 19th century, this Zinfandel captures the essence of the family's deep-rooted history. The wine is sourced from a vineyard planted by their grandson, Lee Martinelli Sr., using heritage cuttings taken directly from the original, historic Jackass Hill Zinfandel vines. Grown in the cool, fog-influenced microclimate of the Russian River Valley, the grapes undergo traditional, minimalist winemaking, including fermentation with wild yeasts and bottling without fining or filtration. This preserves the wine's signature profile: a remarkably concentrated, full-bodied expression defined by ripe dark berries, warm baking spices, and a vibrant structural acidity that reflects its unique Sonoma 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
Zinfandel