Zinfandel Lolita Ranch
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–12 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Barbecued pork ribs, grilled lamb chops, aged cheddar cheese
✨ wine.spec_sheet
The Lolita Ranch vineyard is situated on a steep, eastern-facing slope along Martinelli Road in the Russian River Valley, on land originally owned by Bob Martinelli's aunt, Lolita. This unique site benefits from the cooling influence of the nearby Russian River fog combined with warm afternoon sun, allowing the Zinfandel grapes to develop intense concentration while retaining balanced acidity. In keeping with the family's traditional winemaking philosophy, the wine is crafted using native yeast fermentation and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. This creates a powerful, deeply expressive Zinfandel that showcases rich dark fruit, warm baking spices, and the distinctive, rugged terroir of this historic estate.
🍾 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.