2004 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Hill Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Martinelli’s Zindfandel is a rich, high-octane wine of considerable intensity, fragrance, and richness. The 2004 Zinfandel Jackass Hill (125 cases) boasts amazing elegance, revealing fine balance along with notes of plum liqueur, roasted meats, spice box, and sweet Provencal herbs interwoven with sassafras, licorice and espresso. A dense ruby/purple color, soaring aromatics, flamboyant flavors, and a monster palate with no hard edges always make this one of the world’s most distinctive Zinfandels. Its 17+% alcohol is reasonably well-concealed by layers of concentration. This blockbuster should drink well for 10-15 years. Tel. (707) 525-0570
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(17% alcohol) Less fruity and open on the nose than the Jackass Vineyard but conveys an impression of brooding power. Distinctly more backward in the mouth, initially dominated by resiny and saline elements. With aeration, this tight wine showed explosive, urgent raspberry fruit lifted by black pepper, and became increasingly peppery and bright. Really stains the finish with fruit. This trio of zinfandels struck me as the most successful and powerfully fruit-driven that Helen Turley has made to date for the Martinelli family.
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.