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
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
🍷 ABV
15.5-16.5%