martinelli pinot noir

This is the first bottle we opened to christen our move to Colorado. Sitting out on the balcony with the setting sun zooming in, it was time for a good bottle of red, and this was it.

Fruit forward is no joke here in this 2004 vintage. A big splash of red cherry comes straight out of the glass. The red cherry effect is abundant in the deep ruby color. A good nose with red fruit strong and perfumy. The amazing thing is the nearly full body in this pinot noir. With other Russian River pinots, body is often lacking. Helen Turley, the winemaker for the Martinelli family, pulled off a strong, full mouth here. The mouth feel is not quite silky (it's pinot after all), but smooth and light, working along the tongue and sides gently, though again with big red fruit. A little french oak is detectable but in balance.

The only dissapointment, which I gather is sort of trademark of Turley's (she's not afraid of doing this with all of her Martinelli wines), is the high alcohol content. It's fully 15.6%, and you can feel the burn in the back of the throat. Frankly, I already know I'm drinking alcohol. I drink wine so I don't have to remember that fact until the bottle is empty. Wine is the art of making drink. No need to let it burn. It's the same reason I really like my 26 yr. old Dallas Dhu Highland single malt scotch instead of a crappy burning 10yr blended whiskey. The harshness of the alcohol has to have time to seap out of the oak casks. If you wait long enough, that scotch turns buttery smooth. Here, the pinot is young, only 2004, and wants to drink young. It's the American way I guess. These bottles sell out within a few months of release, so there's no storage unless you buy enough to store. Which I can't do. So, drink up we must.

This Martinelli Pinot Noir is vineyard specific from the Zio Tony Ranch. It has few tannins, which is to be expected with pinot's thin skins. Balanced acidity works well in the mouth. The sugar, acid, and light tannin all hold their balance well (given the strong fruit punch of the California style), even after 30 minutes of air. A couple years might help this particular wine, but I'm pleased with the flavors and finish nonetheless. I give it a 4.0 out of 5.0, which is a strong rating and would be a 4.5 but for the alcohol. For California pinot, this is some of the best. It's great drinking, no kidding.