Medium garnet-purple in color, the 2007 Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard offers a drop-dead gorgeous nose of potpourri, cinnamon stick, star anise, sandalwood and Sichuan pepper with a core of fruitcake, blueberry preserves and raspberry pie with waft of dried herbs and cigar box. Super concentrated and unashamedly bold in the mouth, it has a solid backbone of grainy tannins and lively acid perfectly supported with opulent fruit, finishing epically long.

From a steep hillside vineyard, the 2007 Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard reveals enormous quantities of pepper, fruitcake, mincemeat, roasted herbs, black and red fruits, a tremendous smokiness, and an unctuous texture with amazing viscosity as well as richness. There are slightly fewer than 400 cases of this beauty, which should drink well for a decade or more. Martinelli’s Zinfandel portfolio continues to grow, with as many as five different offerings now available. The 2006 and 2007 Jackass Hill Vineyard cuvees were not tasted at this visit. However, the other four wines I tasted, all from steep hillside vineyard sites with the newer plantings planted from bud wood of both the Jackass Hill and Jackass vineyards, were brilliant. They are among the fullest-bodied, headiest, most distinctive Zinfandels made in California.Tel. (707) 525-0570; Fax (707) 525-9463