2018 Chardonnay Martinelli Road 750 ml
Appellation
Russian River
Aromas of fresh pineapple, pear and fresh hazelnuts are present in the lifted nose. Silky upon entry, the palate contains long layers of flavors including tropical fruits and jasmine
Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Russian River
Alcohol %
15.2
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
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.
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 season was much calmer than 2017, due to the absence of extra rain and heat spikes we experienced in 2017. The moderate temperatures in the spring and summer allowed for a longer growing season and full flavor development. There was plenty of water in the soil to carry the clusters through the long growing season with minimal dehydration. Our first day of harvest in 2018 was September 10th, compared with an August 26th start in 2017. It was nice that the production crew could enjoy the Labor Day holiday right before the long hours and hard work of harvest began.
