Martinelli, Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch Water Trough, Russian River Valley

Really nice mature wine in every way.

2015 vintage

Still drinking great. Give it 30-60 minutes to open but a great balance of light & dark fruit as well as leather & wood

2015 vintage

PnP but better after 10 minutes of air. This bottle showed as well as our previous bottle some nine months ago. Dark fruits, earth, spice and lively acidity on a medium bodied palate would sum it up. May continue to hold but I suggest drinking up.

2015 vintage

Even at almost 10 years old, this Pinot is still a bruiser. At PnP, there was significant heat (15.4% abv). But after 30 minutes it started to subside and was more enjoyable.

2015 vintage

Based on my last TN for this wine, I decided to drink this bottle which showed just a tad better. Slo-oxed for 10 minutes. The color was a clear medium violet. Dark red fruits and earth on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed these dark red fruits along with some spice, some earth and a bit of minerality. The acidity was balancing, and any tannins were completely integrated.

2015 vintage

Gorgeous. 2003!

2003 vintage

Almost exactly 10 months since our previous bottle of this wine and the wine has definitely aged as experienced by somewhat faded fruit. PnP, with a color that was a clear medium violet. A bit of funk initially, then some dark red fruits on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed some darker red fruits (black cherry, blackberry. pomegranate), with lots of spice and earth, and a touch of cola. The acidity was balancing, and any tannins were completely integrated. …

2015 vintage

Admittedly, I’m a fan of Bondi and drink it regularly over the past 20 years. I really think that 2013-15 is some sort of recent peak culminating with the 2015. These wines are more integrated than in the past. The 2015 also improved steadily with air without losing intensity. I’m assuming the 2015 is at peak here.

2015 vintage

Despite getting my recent allocation I decided to open this 8 year old tonight. Aromatically the wine shines with cherry kirsch, and some bay leaf. It has a medium red/brown color. Mid palette is sweetish and drives toward cola. Just lovely.

2015 vintage

Definitely less feminine and more fruity than the 2014 vintage of this wine. Drank this alongside the 2014 vintage of the same wine (half bottle each on 10/10 and the other half bottle each on 10/13 -- preserved in a 375 ml screw cap bottle with no air). See that TN. Slo-oxed for 15 minutes. The color was a clear medium to dark ruby. Lots of dark red fruits on the nose. The medium bodied palate showed lots of darker …

2015 vintage

Drinking at a high level now enjoyable both w/pork tenderloin & on its own. Wow!

2015 vintage

Very balanced with nice viscosity and complexity. Drink now.

2015 vintage

Very good.

2015 vintage

Medium ruby color. Medium acid and alcohol. Wonderful primary aromas and flavors of cherry and plum. Nice, long finish. I was afrai this wine might have been past its prime, but it did not disappoint. Wonderful!

2015 vintage

Fantastic! One of the best wines I have had in a long time.

2015 vintage

I love this wine. It is rich and full of flavor, yet super light on its toes. Really phenomenal. There are a lot of nice earthy flavors that reminds me of an Oregon Pinot, but the fruit is all Sonoma.

2015 vintage

Under the wonderfully sweet, berry-filled bouquet, there’s a lot of flavor here and it’s energetic and tasty, but the oak is prevalent and not well-integrated, which felt especially pushy after a magical Occidental ‘13 SWK. Possibly better in 2023.

2015 vintage

Decanted 1 hour.

2015 vintage

Still drinking well. Hough shock. Thick. Dark fruit

2003 vintage

Not as impressive as prior bottle, but still quite good. Big fruit profile like before, but seemed a little out of sorts, with alcohol and acidity more pronounced.

2015 vintage

Cherry cola. Good structure. Nice with our thanksgiving leftovers.

2015 vintage

Leslye

2015 vintage

Excellent. Cherry cola, brooding, velvety.

2015 vintage

Impressive depth here, loaded with blueberry and blackberry fruit, with a strong lingering finish. This Pinot could stand up to a grilled ribeye, but worked just as well with burgers.

2015 vintage

Decanted 1 hour.

2015 vintage

Surprisingly fresh. screams california pinot upon opening. The palate and nose would have made me think russian river valley with the distinctive super-juicy pinot fruit. Lacking complexity but makes up for it with lush fruit along with a nice balance of acidity. Avoids plumminess but over an hour developed no secondary notes. Dare i say give it more time??? Regardless, a fun drink for a party for sure.

2003 vintage

Still too early

2015 vintage

Just leaving myself a note that I helped prune some of the grapes, so I want to drink this when it's released!

2015 vintage

Still took a while to open up and I was surprised by how much was still there. Stone fruits and cola came out strong. But this one is past its peak and time to drink up.

2003 vintage

Hard to believe this is pinot noir. I would guess syrah. Typical Martinelli in many ways a little over done?

2003 vintage

Second Sunday Group: Older California Pinots (Barb's) : Aromas of pepper, spice, red and dark fruit and peppermint. Cherry and earth notes as it sits in the glass. Soft tannins with bright acidity and flavors of black cherry, spice and earth. Dense and chewy, but balanced. 92+ pts. My #1, domino's #4 Group #2, 33 pts

2003 vintage

Deep black ruby; hint of volatile organics (ketone like) in the aroma when first opened, but diminished after aeration; aromas of very dark fruit; rich, very full bodied, with concentrated black cherry and chocolate. This very ripe, highly extracted style is at the opposite end of the pinot spectrum from french Burgundy, but quite enjoyable for what it is, with rich foods (in this case with apple and alderwood, fresh smoked salmon)

2003 vintage

Past age. Blue berry skins

2003 vintage

Eight '03 PNs tasted blind. Nose - black plum, cherry liqueur, mandarin, brown sugar. Sweet syrupy black cherry, brown sugar, orange, sweet slightly bitter finish. Group #7, my #6.

2003 vintage

Dark ruby colour, a hint of alcohol on the nose. Big, bold, intense, fruity (mostly cherries) wine. I have a couple more bottles and will drink them in the next month or two - this is just so good, so why wait for it to decline.

2003 vintage

Slightly corked and just not exciting.

2003 vintage

We opened 2 bottles and 91 was the ranking I gave the best bottle. I'll give the other 88 as it was decidedly less pleasurable than the first, although still lovely and drinkable. It had an off-putting taste of some sort and a bit of an astringency I could not put my finger on. Three people tasting the two bottles felt the same. The first was aging beautifully and beginning to reach its peak.

2003 vintage

Color still dark. Decent legs as well. Underwhelming otherwise. Nose has some earth, watermelon and sweet black cherry fruit, but a bit faint, even hollow. Cola-like fruit has good balance with decent acid, and it grew fatter and sweeter with air. At first it seemed a huge disappointment and I feared I had waited too long. Sweet finish. Wow. 4-11-16-6: 87/100.

2003 vintage

Still pretty dark in color. Good legs. Nose is mostly watermelon and cherries, with just a hint of alcohol. In the mouth, it is round and fat, with all tannins completely resolved. Still quite a mouthful. Interesting and prolonged finish. Not cracking up, but I wouldn't wait much longer. 5-11-17-7: 90/100.

2003 vintage

This is a terrific wine. Popped and poured. Intense aromas of cherries, strawberries, and framboise that lasted all night. Notes carried through on the palate with a finish that lasted a few minutes. My date loved it as well. The 15.3% alcohol and acidity were hardly noticeable. Silky tannins. Paired really well with the roast duck and fig glaze. Best California pinot I've had so far.

2003 vintage

Smooth, balanced, and much better than I remembered. It has settled down and not as over the top as it was on release. Beautiful lush red fruits of Cherry, a hint of strawberry, framboise, kirsch with some earth and forest aromas. The tannins have mellowed, the acidity is in check and balanced to go great with food. Fantastic!

2003 vintage

Decanted 1 hour. Very enjoyable. Lots of big dark berry fruit.

2003 vintage

really great fruit, lots of cherry and berry, and enough bitterness to keep it from veering into cola. A really good pinot, one of the best I can remember in awhile...

2003 vintage

Nice wine, BYOB at Suze in Dallas, drank with Almond Crusted Trout. A nice red pour, was not decanted. Lacked the cola taste that some younger P/N's show, excellent berry and jam flavor, not overpowering, nicely integrated. Wish that I had some more of this wine

2003 vintage

Alcohol on the nose and a monolithic taste; heavy and oaky; tastes more like Syrah (and not a very good one at that)

2003 vintage

My perceptions were very consistent with the consensus of the comments below (much more so than usual). A very nice pinot (that my wife really loved). High marks for color, nose, and (most importantly, in my book) depth and complexity of fruit. Not extraordinary, but very good.

2003 vintage

Nice, dependable producer.

2003 vintage

Big, bold, wildly fruity California pinot. Drink this now; it tastes better than I remember my last bottle tasting two years ago. A little bit missing on the finish, but made up for by the enormity of the fruitiness overall. Nose reveals the high alcohol content a bit, but fruit ripe fresh berries dominate. Beautiful, bright red color.

2003 vintage

Very nice Pinot, though not quite as good as the '04 Kistler, Kistler Vineyard drunk last week.

2003 vintage

A crowd pleaser with tremendous candied pinot fruit. Lots of strawberry jam notes but almost on the jolly rancher side. A little too sweet for me along with some heat on the finish. Not for the Burgundy enthusiast, but enjoyable nonetheless.

2003 vintage

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Martinelli, Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch Water Trough, Russian River Valley

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