Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, USA 2023

Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli planted three acres of Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley in the 1880s.The old vineyard is now known as Jackass Hill and remains the steepest non-terraced hillside vineyard in Sonoma County. Nearly one century later Giuseppe and Luisa’s grandson, Lee Martinelli Sr., followed in their footsteps by planting a Zinfandel vineyard. He grafted bud wood from the centurion vines onto low-vigor rootstocks and planted them one meter by two meters apart, equating to about 2,000 vines per acre, on a rocky knoll above the Martinelli Winery Tasting Room in Russian River Valley.

"A saturated ruby red color, the 2023 Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa is savory and has an intriguing nose with notes of cedar, red berries, and baked earth. The acidity is incredible on this wine, which has a salty feel and bright, shining fruit. This is a great value." Jeb Dunnuck 94