Road Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted chicken, creamy mushroom risotto, pan-seared scallops
✨ Technical Specifications
The Martinelli Road Chardonnay is sourced from a historic parcel situated directly below the family's iconic Jackass Hill vineyard in the cool Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Planted on steep, north-facing slopes characterized by classic Goldridge sandy loam soils, this vineyard benefits from the lingering morning fog and cool breezes off the Pacific Ocean, allowing for a long, slow ripening period. The Martinelli family farms this site with the same rigorous, hand-tended dedication applied to their oldest heritage plots. In the cellar, the wine is crafted using traditional, low-intervention methods: fermented with wild yeasts in French oak barrels and aged on its lees, undergoing full malolactic fermentation. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it represents a rich, texturally complex expression of Russian River Valley Chardonnay, balancing opulent stone fruit and toasted brioche notes with a vibrant, mineral-driven acidity.
🍾 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.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Chardonnay
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
14.0-14.8%