Martinelli Winery
2012 Vigneto di Evo Russian River Valley Zinfandel
Zinfandel
California: Sonoma County: Russian River Valley
Mission Briefing
Vintage Jackass
A house blend of some of the finest Russian River Valley Zinfandel vineyards ever planted by pioneer grower-producer Martinelli. A style of Zinfandel so powerful that its origins in vineyards called Jackass, Moonshine, and Chico’s Hill make a lot of sense. As Amarone is to Valpolicella, Martinelli is to other Zinfandel with an almost caramelized flavor of dried red fruits, nuts, dust, and high potency juice. Martinelli achieves maximum ripeness from low-yielding, ancient vines farmed by the third generation winery. This is an awesome, expressive Zinfandel that’s not easy to find beyond the winery.
Robert Parker routinely rates Martinelli Zinfandels in the 90-95 pt range.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Garnet, like Pinot Noir. Translucent. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Super complex. Roasted almonds, peppered raspberry, dried cherries, toffee, clove, dusty earth, garam marsala, cacao nibs. Well seasoned! |
| Taste: | Penetrating taste. Powerful flavors that mimic the nose. It’s reminiscent of Amarone more so than the regular style of Zinfandel. That’s what makes it so distinctive and crazy good. |
| Finish: | The warmth of 17.2% alc. is miraculously not an issue at all. It tastes like it could be in the upper 14% range. The wine drinks incredibly well for such high octane. Cask conditioned Zinfandel of the highest quality. |
| Pairing: | This could be an interesting pairing with many things. Open the spice pantry, and get creative. Slow smoked meats. Grilled wild Pacific salmon. Pizza! Meatballs. Mild curries. Eating chocolate and watching a movie by the fireplace. |
What the Winery Says
- Varietal
- Zinfandel
- Vineyard Source
- Martinelli Family
- Appellation
- Russian River Valley
- Winemaker
- Bryan Kvamme
- Alcohol Content
- 17.2%
- Barrels
- 35% new French oak
- Production
- 876 cases