PRODUCER: Marietta Cellars
REGION: Mendocino, California, USA
WINEMAKERS: Scot Bilbro
Family owned and operated wineries are a dying breed in the Golden State. The influx of private equity and tech billionaires has stimulated the industry in many ways, but also stripped away much of the region’s viticultural identity. Marietta serves as a veritable port in this storm. Continuing to place value at the heart of their operation, the Bilbro family’s dedication to old vine reds and uniquely Californian wines recalls a spirit rapidly fading.
WINERY HISTORY
Starting with only a handful of purchased grapes in 1978, Marietta Cellars has been a standout winery in Sonoma and Mendocino since the very beginning. Founded in Geyserville by Chris Bilbro, a Sonoma County native with winemaking roots dating back three generations, Marietta rose to prominence with its revolutionary Old Vine Red, a California red blend that essentially created the category. The winery has slowly expanded its estate holdings over the past thirty years, evolving into a beacon for high quality, balanced Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Rhône variety blends. Notable among Marietta's heritage plantings are California’s oldest Syrah blocks, planted in the late 1800s.
Scot Bilbro, Chris’s son, has brought Marietta into its next, incredibly exciting phase. After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology in 2007, Scot joined the winery full-time, assuming the role of winemaker in 2012. Steeped in the history of the California wine country and the traditions established by his father, Scot combines his creativity and technical background in guiding the winery’s vision of viticulture and winemaking. Today, the fusion of traditional values and style with modern precision have culminated in the most highly regarded wines of Marietta’s four decade history. Continuing to place value at the heart of their operation, the Bilbro family’s dedication to old vine reds and uniquely Californian wines recalls a spirit rapidly fading.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
Marietta has grown to become a sustainably farmed, estate-based production. Spanning 125ha across Alexander Valley, McDowell Valley, and the Yorkville Highlands, the Marietta holdings produce some of the state’s most impressive Old Vine wines. Many of these vines are planted to varieties like Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan and other grapes that were historically used to slake the thirst of Italian immigrant families – just like the Bilbro family. Native yeast fermentations take place in concrete tanks after being passed through an old vertical press. The wines then age after in a combination of French and American oak barrels, a very small percentage of which are ever new. While these wines may be their most famous, they also produce an entire portfolio of high quality, balanced Cabernet and Rhone-style blends.
Old Vine Red is a Zinfandel-driven fruity but deliciously savoury old-school wine. It has long been considered proof that non-vintage blends can be a great success when you possess the requisite know-how. Armé is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. All give the drinker a glimpse into what Californian wine used to be – rustic and generous, sun-kissed but fresh and balanced.
IN THE PRESS
"I was completely blown away by Marietta wines. Scot Bilbro has the magic touch when it comes to crafting wines that deliver superb quality for the money across the various tiers in this range. Picking a bit earlier has given the wines an extra kick of brightness that really livens up the expression of fruit." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"Scot runs Marietta Cellars today, continuing the winery’s brilliant red blend Old Vine Red, possibly California’s best-value wine of any colour, a concept cooked up by Chris in the 1990s when blends were out of fashion." - Jancis Robinson MW
