Maybe Martinelli Missed the Mark
Or maybe it was me…
On the way home from Healdsburg, we made a stop at Martinelli Winery in Windsor. A friend from back home had raved about their Zinfandels when I was doing some research for my JFP column. Martinelli is another fairly small operation with 12,000 cases annually. All the vineyards are estate-owned and all wines are 100% varietals. The family has been making wine for over 100 years, and the story is a great one….two young Italians eloping across the ocean to settle in California and scrimp up enough money to purchase land for a farm and vineyards. Five generations have worked the land and built up the winery, with Helen Turley coming into the picture in 1993.
However, I can’t say that I was all that impressed. I will preface that by saying it was the last winery of the day, and I was tired from driving. Hence, I did not take any notes and am working from that oh-so-long-ago memory. I remember distinctly disliking the Sauvignon Blanc and not because it was aged in oak. It seemed unbalanced toward the herbaceousness so that the fruit had to fight too hard for detection. I liked the Pinot Noir a little more than that and the Syrah. The real disappointment, though, was the 2005 Martinelli “Guiseppe and Luisa” Zinfandel, boasting 94 points from Robert Parker and 93 from Wine Spectator. I found it to be over-the-top, but I gave in to the hype and bought a bottle anyway, knowing I might not find it elsewhere and hoping the next few years will tame the mammoth fruit and richness into something more approachable. Plus, it’s named after the founding couple, which appeals to the Italian and the romantic in me.
2005 Martinelli “Guiseppe and Luisa” Zinfandel
June 27th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
I’m very familiar with “it’s better not to say anything if we don’t have something good to say”, but sometimes you just have to spill the beans and I have to say, I wasn’t too impressed with this wine/winery and Farls, I don’t think it was because it was our last one of the day, it just wasn’t very good….I don’t think your memory (or lack of it) was in question this time! (Ok, now I have to go to confession, that Irish guilt is already setting in…..but I had to support my friend father!!!)
June 28th, 2007 at 7:21 am
I’m suprised that the wine reviewers raved aou tthis winery and gave them such high point values… I have not been impressed with Martinelli, ever.
June 28th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Lorraine and Sara,
I’m so glad you both agree with me. I feel bad writing negatively about something because it could always just be an off day for my taste buds or the wine. But yeah, I don’t think that was the case this time.