Martinelli, Jackass Hill Zinfandel, Russian River Valley

Typical big fat Martinelli Zin, great with pizza. 11/1/25 Another, even nicer: 94. Big and fat but quite smooth without the typical Zin pepper. Tasted almost like a cult Cab, what a treat.

2019 vintage

Clear deep ruby Huge deep black raspberry flavors Mocha, rich yet balanced. Almost feels sweet with all the fruit and alcohol, but finishes dry. Lovely and a bit more savory than expected

2020 vintage

Poured a little upon opening the bottle. Aromas burst from the glass. The fruit was overpowered by the alcohol. But I imagine the wine will integrate with time. I've left the open bottle to slow-ox overnight and will revisit.

2019 vintage

Cellared at 55 since acquisition on release. Dark dull ruby; espresso and cocoa w blackberry liquor - port etoh nose. Velvety rich and alcoholic. A Zin monument.

1997 vintage

1997 Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel – Winemaker- Helen Turley. A deep ruby/purple color and 17.5% of alcohol, but no sense of heat due to immense fruit, glycerin and sucrosity of the wine. Decanted 20 hours and could have used another 10 at a minimum. Nose is more of an explosive elixir/brandy styled intensity revealing notes of violet, lavender, smoky oak, figs, prunes, plums, roasted herbs, spice box of cardamom and cinnamon, potent deep black fruits of blackberry, blueberry and raspberry …

1997 vintage

Finest Provenance Possible - Tasted at Winery. Exotic and lush with those aromas that are created when you pour red wine into cooking tomato sauce. Sweet potato cream. Apple pie with cinnamon. Spicy tomatillos and salsa on the finish.

1997 vintage

Good. Still some fruit. Good nose, fairly complex, cola, cherry notes. Drink up if you still have some.

1997 vintage

Tasting of 3 Martinelli Jackass Hill from 1996, 1995, and 1997. Nose of plum, cassis, allspice, and a touch of fig, more of the same on the palate, medium/big body, smooth, savory, perhaps slightly past the peak, long, long finish. My #2.

1997 vintage

Was this over the hill? Not quite, but the fruit has faded a lot. A little heat, but still complex and rich. Pretty good, but probably better a year ago.

1997 vintage

Served double blind, this was my first 17.5% alcohol, dry, red wine and I am forced to admit, there was no touch of heat in this monster. Tar, earth, jammy blackberry, jammy cassis, spice and cola aromas led to a powerful, big wine that while it lacked elegance, it showed much younger than I could have imagined. Wouldn't buy it, but glad I tried it!

1997 vintage

A very beefy high alcohol wine. I would have preferred more flavor, but it was pretty decent.

1997 vintage

Dense, full-throttled, sensational zinfandel - can't believe I gave this a 91 in March! I decanted and let the alcohol blow off -n there was no heat at all despite the 17.5% alcohol. I'm glad I drank this now, though, as it can't get any better.

1997 vintage

Fruit is still okay - but I drank this alongside a 2005 Jackass whose fruit was much more forward. A little hot immediately out of the bottle, but the heat subsided over the next hour.

1997 vintage

A blast from the past. How fondly I remember these huge zins with the big fruit and ridiculous alcohol levels. This one clocks in at 17.5% but surprisingly unnoticeable. Wine was still fresh with lovely brambly nose and fruit-filled palate. Not complex or subtle. A pleasant surprise at 13 years of age. My palate has shifted quite a bit but this wine was as good as any wine we've enjoyed during the past week.

1997 vintage

Still excellent

1997 vintage

same note for this and the 99. initially not very good. seemed dilute and a bit hot. however, with some breathing the wine filled out with typical martinelli spice. it became very enjoyable. too bad i no longer am on their mailing list but i think that julie martinelli is a terrible businesswoman and i left the list because of her.

1997 vintage

This is one sensational Zin. Initially feared the 17.5% alcohol until tasted, no heat as it was balanced with great fruit and wonderful bouquet resulting from successful bottle aging. Acquired one bottle from winebid.com and very glad I did. Bottle was shared with a life long friend and together we offer the following tasting notes: On the nose: black fruit that was distinctly laid back due to bottle aging. Hints of deep caramel and spice. The high alcohol was not …

1997 vintage

deep garnet. Ripe, overripe peppery zin. I usually don't like Zin much, but this was nice, if overripe.

1997 vintage

A very fine wine. Not overly sweet at all.

1997 vintage

i bought a bunch of 95-96-97s many years ago from winebid.com, and we've been milking them with fabulous success (the 95 is my all time favorite zin)...until now. wouldn't you know it, the very last bottle from the cache is not up to snuff. prunes, grapey, hot, alcoholic, maybe some heat damage? too bad, R.I.P.

1997 vintage

Drunk at the Oak (london) strong cherry and black fruit, still dark color. quite viscous. in the mouth it was sweet brown sugar and black and blue fruits...thought it was more like a ribena on steriods or mixed with port.....tried it with the charcuterie but it was a bit too much...went better with the choc brownie dessert

1997 vintage

Effectively a dessert wine. Just super rich with extreme sweetness of the fruit. Surprisingly tannic. Went well with Chocolate torte, but I'm not sure what other food you'd serve this with...

1997 vintage

Wines with Barbecue (Dennis') : Full deep coffee red color. big bright hot raisin nose. Medium/big alcohol black fruit with tons of spice on the palate. A bit canned though. Obviously Zin, typcially Martinelli...

1997 vintage

Dark ruby with mature browning showing a non-descript nose. Aromas of plum fruit and leather come through. Sweet plum fruits are smooth across the mid palate but finish turns bitter and astringent. Past its best days. (4+11+16+6=87)

1997 vintage

Stunning wine. Almost in total balance now, with just a touch of heat showing up. Of course, what do you expect when release alcohol levels are at a whopping 17.5%. That was not detectable at all. Great purity of fruit and incredibly smooth. Just a total blockbuster.

1997 vintage

Had at Willow...K....EXCELLENT

1997 vintage

excellent-outstanding

1997 vintage

excellent

1997 vintage

Are you sure?

Martinelli, Jackass Hill Zinfandel, Russian River Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews