2016 Martinelli Syrah Chico's Hill
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Syrah Chico's Hill is the most overt and easy to appreciate of the Syrahs in the Martinelli range. There is plenty of fleshiness to the dark fruit, with a slight roasted quality that suggests ripeness was pushed a bit farther here than in the other sites that are bottled as vineyard designates. I would prefer to drink the 2016 sooner rather than later.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Syrah Chico's Hill has a very deep, opaque, purple-black color and nose of blueberry liqueur, black cherry and berry jam, boysenberry, smoked meats, cracked pepper and violets with underlying savory olive notions. Intensely concentrated in the mouth with chocolaty dark fruits, it has very firm, ripe tannins and mouthwatering acidity, with a very long, layered and intense finish. Only 66 cases were made.
The 2016 Syrah Chico's Hill has a very deep, opaque, purple-black color and nose of blueberry liqueur, black cherry and berry jam, boysenberry, smoked meats, cracked pepper and violets with underlying savory olive notions. Intensely concentrated in the mouth with chocolaty dark fruits, it has very firm, ripe tannins and mouthwatering acidity, with a very long, layered and intense finish. Only 66 cases were made.
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.