Lolita Ranch

A steep hillside on Martinelli Road named for Lolita Young, the family friend who gave Lee Martinelli Sr. his first haircut and kept the blonde curls in a box.

History

The land was part of Giuseppe and Luisa Martinelli's original homestead ranch until their eldest son Fred sold it to a neighbor, Lolita Young's mother. Bob and Lolita Young ran cattle on it for decades, and after Lolita's passing, Lee Martinelli Jr. and his wife Pamela bought it back in 1999, returning the ground to the family a century after it left and naming it for the woman who had known them all.

The Site

The parcel at 8075 Martinelli Road climbs a steep hillside in the cool, fog-fed corridor above the Russian River, on thin, well-drained Josephine soils full of Franciscan shale that keep vigor naturally low.

Vines and Blocks

Planted in 2001 to four varieties: Chardonnay in clones 17 and 76, Pinot Noir in 777 and 667, Zinfandel from the family's Jackass selections, and Syrah 877, on 101-14, 3309 and 420A.

The Wines

Lolita Ranch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sit in the heart of the Martinelli style, dark-fruited and generous with shale-grown cut, in lots around 250 cases.