[1][2][3] The winery was founded by Louis M. Martini, who was born in Genoa, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1900 at the age of 13 to join his father in San Francisco.
He chose the Napa Valley and purchased a 10-acre prune orchard in St. Helena, planted it with vineyards, and established the Louis M. Martini Winery.
[7] In the 1930s Martini purchased a mountainside wine ranch in Sonoma County and named it Monte Rosso for its red soil.
At the time high-elevation vineyards were unusual, but the site he bought had been a winery since the 1880s, and Martini had purchased fruit from the ranch for years.
Keeping the name Louis M. Martini Winery, Gallo increased production dramatically and trimmed the wine portfolio from its numerous varieties to focus on Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.