Martinelli 2018 Bondi Ranch Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley – 96 Points

The Story: The Martinelli family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley since the 1880’s. At the ages of 19 and 16, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini eloped from their small village in the Tuscany region of Italy, making their way to California looking for land to farm and start a winery.

In 1918 Giuseppe died, leaving Luisa with four children and the farm to care for. Their youngest son, Leno was twelve years old at the time and had wanted no other career in life than to be a farmer. Leno’s two older brothers wanted nothing to do with the impossibly steep hillside, so after completing the eighth grade, Leno finished school and took on the sole responsibility of farming the Zinfandel vineyard. His family told him that only a jackass would farm a hill that steep. Hence, he and his vineyard earned the name Jackass Hill.

In 1973 Lee Sr. took over management of his Uncle Tony Bondi’s estate, which was comprised mainly of apple orchards, and began planting vineyards in the rich soil of the Russian River Valley. Soon considered a premium grape grower, Lee’s fruit was in great demand from many wineries. Lee and his wife, Carolyn, realized the exceptional potential to create superb wines from these grapes, and decided to start their own winery, and the rest as they say…. is history.

Winemaker Notes: “Our 2018 Bondi Home Ranch Pinot Noir has sweet aromas of blueberry, black cherry and sweet sandalwood. The palate is weighty and rich with a lengthy finish with deep flavors of boysenberry and hints of clean earth..”

Vinous 96 Points: “The 2018 Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch is an intriguing wine. This site, in the cold Sebastopol Hills, is early to go through bud break and late to ripen. That long growing season yields a Pinot with intense, ripe flavors and bright acids, a combination that at times is very Zinfandel-like in its inflections. Dried flowers, leather, mint, cedar and earthy tones add myriad shades of nuance. This is such a striking and alluring Pinot.”