When you come to the edge of civilization in the mountains of the Sonoma Coast, and the road crumbles to dirt and stone, and just as the GPS fails and you're looking for a place to turn around and head back home, you're almost at Blue Slide Ridge Vineyard.
It's a path the Martinelli family knows well. On a morning in April, three generations of Martinellis are riding in an SUV as it treads up to a summit about 1,100 feet above the Pacific Ocean. At the wheel is Lee Jr.; Lee Sr. sits in the back with his granddaughter Tessa Gorsuch and winemaker Courtney Wagoner.
After weeks of dark skies and storms, the land is green and glowing in the sun as everyone climbs out of the vehicle after the 90-minute trek from Martinelli Winery outside Santa Rosa, Calif. We're in the heart of the family's Sonoma Coast property in the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation, where four vineyards sit in proximity: Charles Ranch, Three Sisters, Wild Thyme and Blue Slide. Gorsuch opens a bottle of Three Sisters Pinot Noir 2021 and pours a taste all around. A taste of Blue Slide soon follows.
"I get winemakers asking me all the time if there's any Blue Slide for sale," Wagoner says. "No, I get 100%,' I reply, so a lot of them are jealous. This is a very special place, Blue Slide in particular. It gives [the wine] an intensity, but it's an approachable intensity and the age-ability of it is just incredible."
Lee Sr., a spry 84 who looks a decade younger, takes it all in. He has been making the long drive up the mountain since he was a young man courting his future wife, Carolyn Charles Martinelli, who grew up on this remote 465-acre wilderness that the Charles family homesteaded in the 1860s. "This ranch produced lumber and livestock back in the day," Lee Sr. says. "And now it's grapes."
Denne historien er fra September 30, 2023-utgaven av Wine Spectator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 30, 2023-utgaven av Wine Spectator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New Zealand's Success Story
From small beginnings, the country’s wines have ascended to global prominence
Wine Is Healthiest Choice for Drinkers
Decades of research has linked light to moderate drinking, especially of wine, to a range of health benefits.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Crust
“Dough is always the hardest challenge for any home chef,” explains chef and restaurateur Tony Gemignani. “But it’s the foundation of any great pizza.”
SEAVEY VINEYARD
In Napa’s Conn Valley, a family-run winery marches to its own drum
CALIFORNIA RHONES Show Their Range
RECENT VINTAGES DELIVER EXCELLENT REDS AND WHITES IN AN ARRAY OF STYLES
Tuscany Comes of Age
Anchored by the 2021 vintage, Tuscan reds set a new standard of quality
The Absolute Best Places to Eat and Drink in America
PROFILES OF THE 63 WINE SPECTATOR GRAND AWARD WINNERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY, AS THE PROGRAM MARKS ITS 44TH YEAR
Events- A Grand Tour for Wine Spectator- a perfect day with an evening of outstanding wines.
A young couple in shorts and festival shirts sped into the ballroom of the New Orleans Marriott on a mission.
Big Wine Players Target Pinot Noir - Plenty of small winery owners are cashing out, either because they're looking to retire or they see selling as the best way to keep their label growing
Plenty of small winery owners are cashing out, either because they’re looking to retire or they see selling as the best way to keep their label growing
Restaurant Awards- Lazy Bear- Lazy Bear bills itself as a modern American dinner party. But it's so much more.
Lazy Bear bills itself as a modern American dinner party. But it’s so much more. This Mission District restaurant effortlessly strips away the formality of a multicourse dinner and replaces it with conviviality, nostalgia and curiosity. With reverence for time and place, Lazy Bear is an ode to California where guests dine in concert with the season and can explore diverse wines, including an impressive collection of older California vintages.