Syrah Hop Camp
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
roasted lamb, grilled ribeye steak, wild game stew
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Hop Camp Vineyard carries a rich historical legacy, named after the site where workers camped during the annual hop harvests of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, back when Sonoma County was a premier hop-growing region. Located in the Russian River Valley, this unique site was later transitioned to grapevines. Martinelli's Hop Camp Syrah is crafted from these gravelly, well-drained soils, benefitting from the region's signature cool morning fog and warm afternoon sun. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered, showcasing a powerful, deeply concentrated profile. It is celebrated for its dark berry fruit, savory cracked black pepper, and smoked meat complexities, reflecting both the cool-climate influence of the Russian River Valley and the family's meticulous hand-farming heritage.
🍾 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.