Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Barbecued pork ribs, slow-braised beef short ribs, strong blue cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
The Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel is a profound tribute to Luisa Vellutini, who co-founded the Martinelli estate alongside her husband Giuseppe after emigrating from Tuscany in the late 19th century. Planted in 1999 on a ridgetop directly adjacent to the legendary, near-vertical Jackass Hill, this vineyard shares the same steep, well-drained Franciscan clay loam soils and cool Russian River Valley climate. The vines themselves were propagated using heritage budwood selected directly from the historic Jackass Vineyard. This exceptional pedigree yields a Zinfandel of immense power, concentration, and complexity. Fermented with wild yeasts and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wine showcases the signature Martinelli style: opulent dark bramble fruit, exotic spices, and a remarkably velvety texture that beautifully balances its formidable structure.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in the late 1880s by Italian immigrants Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini, Martinelli Winery is a celebrated multi-generational estate nestled in California's Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. For over a century, the family has farmed historically significant, steep hillside sites, most famously the iconic Jackass Hill and Jackass Vineyard planted in 1887. Guided by an uncompromising dedication to estate viticulture and low-intervention winemaking, the winery captures the distinct microclimates and soils of Sonoma County. Martinelli is globally acclaimed for its powerful, old-vine Zinfandels, expressive single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, structured Syrahs, and richly textured Chardonnays.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Zinfandel
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
15.5-16.5%