2016 Martinelli Zinfandel Lolita Ranch
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Zinfandel Jackass Hill is powerful, deep and implosive, with tremendous density and tons of energy. Reserved and shy today, the 2016 needs time to unwind, but it offers considerable potential. Bright red cherry, plum, cedar, tobacco, leather and mint all flesh out in the glass, but it is the wine's silkiness and persistence that stand out most. The Jackass Hill is a complete, totally alluring wine. Martinelli's most iconic wine emerges from vines planted in 1899 by Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli in what remains the steepest vineyard in Sonoma.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The medium garnet-purple colored 2016 Zinfandel Lolita Ranch has baked plums, blackberry pie and red cherry tart notes with wafts of rose water, spice box and fallen leaves. Very full and packed with red berry preserves layers, it has a firm, chewy frame and long, perfumed finish. 201 cases produced.
Soft, supple and alluring, the 2016 Zinfandel Lolita Ranch is nicely lifted in the glass. Dark plum, leather, spice, tobacco and smoke meld together in an effortless, impeccably balanced Zinfandel that will drink well pretty much out of the gate. This is an especially perfumed style.
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.