Tasting Notes

WA97

Martinelli produces spectacular wines from its landmark Jackass Hill Vineyard (an incredibly steep vineyard planted in 1887). The 1995 Jackass Hill Zinfandel is among the greatest Zinfandels I have ever tasted. Winemaker Steve Ryan spent many a night next to the fermenting tanks coaxing this wine to dryness. It boasts the most amazing extract, purity, and mouthfeel I have ever tasted in a Zinfandel, and believe me, California has produced a bevy of prodigious Zinfandels during the last six years. The opaque black/ruby-colored, dry 1995 Jackass Hill exhibits awesome richness and massive body, with an astonishing inner-core of sweet, ripe fruit. Last year I said the 1994 Jackass Hill (97 points) would become my benchmark Zinfandel, but the 1995 has equaled that wine. When I was asked how much alcohol I thought the wine contained, I said 14.5%-15%, largely because I did not detect any hotness because of the wine`s concentration. When I was told that this dry wine was closer to 18%, I was dumbfounded. Anticipated maturity: now-2004.

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