Vellutini Ranch Zinfandel
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–12 years from vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Barbecued pork ribs, slow-braised beef short ribs, strong blue cheese
✨ wine.spec_sheet
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.
🍾 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.