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  • 1998 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa Vineyard

1998 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & Luisa Vineyard

UNITED STATES / CALIFORNIA / SONOMA
  • 94 WA
  • 91 WS
  • 92 IWC
  • Variety
    Zinfandel
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SKU: 53648-1998-750

This item is available by the case only

Total:
$1.00

This is a final sale item

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  • International Wine Cellar | Rating: 92

    Full bright red. High-toned, flamboyant aromas of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, licorice and bitter chocolate. Sweet, dense and concentrated; the fresh black fruit flavors are sappy and nicely delineated. The tannins build on the finish, but there's plenty of lingering fruit and just a soup‡on of heat. Very impressive.
    Author: Stephen Tanzer
    Issue: May/June 2000

  • Wine Spectator | Rating: 91

    Ripe and lively, brimming with jazzy wild berry, raspberry, cherry and spice up front, this California special then picks up a chocolaty edge, with toasty oak and some heat.
    Author: James Laube

  • Wine Advocate | Rating: 94

    The 1998 Zinfandel Guiseppe and Luisa (15.5% alcohol) is a superstar. A terrific nose of plum liqueur intermixed with smoke, coffee, Chinese black tea, cherries, plums, raspberries, and spice soars from the glass. Full body, an unctuous texture, and gorgeously pure flavors conceal the wine's high alcohol. With a stupendous texture, finish, and opulence, it can be drunk over the next 4-8 years, although I suspect it will last longer.
    Author: Robert Parker
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    Martinelli Winery is steeped in tradition - the founders were Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini, originally from a village in Tuscany, who eloped as teenagers and landed in Sonoma in 1887. Though resources were scarce, Giuseppe, armed with extensive viticultural knowledge, earned and borrowed enough to purchase a bit of land - the current 60-degree slope which is now known as Jackass Hill Vineyard. The first vines planted were Zinfandel and Muscat Alexandria. When Giuseppe passed away in 1918, his youngest son, Leno, just 12 years old, became responsible for tending the family's steep hillside. His family said only a jackass would be stubborn enough to farm that torturous slope and thus, it earned its name.

    In 1973 Lee, Sr., Leno's son, took over management of his Uncle Tony Bondi's estate in the Russian River Valley and made his mark as a premium grape grower. He and his wife Carolyn realized the potential of their crops and started their own winery and tasting room in two converted hop barns. A chance meeting with Helen Turley in 1993 introduced a slew of progressive viticultural and cellar practices that catapulted them to the next level.

    See other similar producers:Patz & Hall,Brewer-Clifton,Hanzell Vineyards
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    California is the heartland of wine production in the US, and the state that brought prestige to American wine thanks to the pioneers who built early wineries like Staglin, Beringer, Ridge, Mayacamas and Chateau Montelena in the 1800s. Its large geographic area ensures a great diversity in growing sites, varieties grown, and quality levels. Generalizations about the state's wines have numerous exceptions; however, a few key facts generally hold true—ample sunshine, dry weather during the growing season, and moderate winters prevail. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon continue to dominate the state's production—albeit in continually smaller percentages, as growers continue to diversify. More than 100 different varieties can be found throughout the state.

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    Collector Data For This Wine

    • 22 bottles owned
    • 11 collectors