Wine Spectator 94
"Offers a gorgeous display of fruit, with loganberry, boysenberry and mulberry notes that are fresh, succulent and well-defined as they cruise through. Carried by a polished structure, this wine's flavors stay fresh through the floral- and incense-gilded finish, which sports a fine mineral thread. Beautiful. Drink now through 2030. 345 cases made."

Jeb Dunnuck 93
"A youthful ruby with a tinge of pink, the 2021 Pinot Noir Moonshine Ranch is lifted with fresh pine needles, ripe cherry, and purple flowers. Medium to full-bodied, with a darker fruit profile on the palate, it offers notes of blackberries, violets, and sweet earth. It has a supple texture and a long, juicy, rounded finish. Drink 2023-2030."

Vinous Media 90
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Moonshine Ranch Vineyard is laced with succulent red cherry fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and cedar. Medium in body and racy, the 2021 offers tons of immediacy in an up-front, light-bodied style (for Martinelli) that is quite attractive for near-term drinking. - By Antonio Galloni on June 2023"

The Wine
Back during prohibition the owners of Moonshine Ranch used to run ‘shine on this ranch in the existing barn. The owner used to sneak out in the middle of the night, while his wife slept to tend to the still. The wife got suspicious and thought it was another woman he was going to see, so she hired a private detective to follow him. When the detective discovered he was making moonshine, he had the man arrested and thrown in jail. The barn still stands on the property today, but houses tractors now instead.

Winery Notes
The nose is nuanced with aromas of hibiscus tea, creamed coffee, and wild blackberries. Present tannins do not hide the beautiful black plum and clove flavors in the mouth. The finish is surprisingly elegant and long with a lingering blackberry flavor.

The Estate
The Martinelli family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley since 1887. At the ages of 19 and 16, Giuseppe Martinelli and Luisa Vellutini left their small village in the Tuscany region of Italy and made their way to California looking for land to farm and start a winery. Giuseppe had been a winemaker in Italy and with his viticultural knowledge, he was hired to plant a vineyard for a farmer in Forestville. 100 years later, the historic Martinelli Estate vineyards are farmed by Lee Martinelli, Sr., and sons Lee, Jr. and George Martinelli. The wines are made by winemaker Courtney Wagoner. These handcrafted wines are unfined, unfiltered, neither cold nor heat stabilized, and may contain naturally occurring sediment.