2002 Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch Water Trough Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Tart acidity and a crisp, elegant personality, with more smoky, herbal notes and a decidedly cool climate style characterizes the 2002 Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch Water Trough Vineyard. This wine is well-made, but a completely different expression of Pinot Noir from a cooler area. It is remarkable how the 2002 is so different from the explosive 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2012. Tel. (707) 525-0570; Fax (707) 525-9463
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Saturated ruby. Very dark aromas of wild plum, bitter chocolate and nutty oak; lightly syrupy and roasted notes, along with a faint dusty quality, detract from the wine's clarity. Then thick and strong in the mouth, with a distinct impression of extract. The wine's fruit syrup character is leavened by its sound acidity. Shows less "French funk" than some of the winery's other 2002 pinots, according to Julie Martinelli, but currently comes across as rather muted on the nose.
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.