Zio Tony Ranch

Named for Zio Tony Bondi, the big-voiced uncle who ran what was once Sonoma County's largest apple orchard, the ranch Lee Martinelli Sr. left school-teaching to save.

History

Tony Bondi, the first of the Bondi family born in America, built the ranch into an apple empire from 1959. When he died in 1971, his nephew Lee Martinelli Sr. gave up teaching high school to farm it rather than let it go. As the apple market softened the family converted the orchards, planting vines in 2000, 2001 and 2006, and the ranch's bottlings quickly took a first-among-equals place in the Martinelli range.

The Site

About 45 acres on Goldridge soils at the Green Valley edge of the Russian River benchlands, planted at high density on the old orchard ground.

Vines and Blocks

Chardonnay in clones 95, 76 and 548 and Pinot Noir in 115, 777 and 828 on 420A, 3309 and 101-14 rootstocks, with some Syrah.

The Wines

Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the intense end of the Martinelli Russian River range, concentrated and dark-toned with scores that lead the family portfolio; Benovia's La Pommeraie bottlings, named for the orchard, and Patz and Hall designations have drawn from the same ground.