94pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2021 Chardonnay Martinelli Road is a bright straw yellow color and is highly expressive in its fresh tropical aromas of fresh pineapple, toasted spice, tangerine, and melon rind. Full-bodied, it has a rounder feel, offering creamy richness without feeling heavy, and it reveals notes of marzipan on the ripe finish. It’s generous now, offering a lot of immediate charm, and it’s going to hold up over the next 7-8 years.

Winemaker Notes

Fresh mango, pineapple and guava aromas are found in the expressive nose. Juicy upon entry the tropical flavor of pineapple is complimented with powder sugar in the mouth.  Subdued barrel toast notes are in the long fresh finish.

About the Winery

The Martinelli Road Chardonnay Vineyard is one of our coolest vineyard sites in the Russian River Valley and is consistently one of the last vineyards to be picked. Lee Martinelli Sr. planted this vineyard in 1989 using clone 95. The vineyard is located directly below the steep Jackass Hill Zinfandel vineyard on the original Martinelli family homestead ranch.