2018 Martinelli Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch is more delicately styled than the other Zinfandels from Martinelli this vintage. Medium ruby-purple, the nose opens with apricots and white peaches with accents of red berries, autumn leaves and cinnamon. It has a lighter, silkier and juicier frame with pretty, perfumed fruits and a long, uplifted finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
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The 2018 Zinfandel Vellutini Ranch emerges from eight blocks with various exposures on Martinelli's six-acre property. Pliant, dark and layered, the Vellutini races across the palate with layers of dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, leather and tobacco. The Vellutini is one of the more dense, packed wines in this range. I would give it a few years in bottle to allow some of that intensity to soften just a touch.
About the producer
Martinelli is a Sonoma benchmark for vineyard-designate bottlings—wines built to highlight how strongly a single site can shape Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Zinfandel. Across the range, the focus stays consistent: small-production bottlings that feel distinctly tied to where they’re grown.