Terra Felice Vineyard Syrah
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb shank, grilled ribeye steak, barbecued pork ribs
✨ Technical Specifications
Martinelli's Terra Felice Vineyard Syrah is a beautiful expression of the family's deep Italian heritage and their mastery of Sonoma County's unique terroirs. Meaning 'Happy Land' in Italian, Terra Felice is a vineyard that benefits from the Russian River Valley's classic climate of cool, foggy nights and warm, sunny days. This dramatic diurnal shift allows the Syrah grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, developing rich, concentrated dark fruit flavors balanced by vibrant acidity and complex savory undertones. True to the Martinelli family's minimalist winemaking philosophy, the wine is crafted using native yeasts and is bottled unfined and unfiltered, preserving the natural intensity, plush texture, and distinctive cracked-black-pepper character of the vineyard.
🍾 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
Syrah