Marietta Cellars

Armé Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

North Coast

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Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is a tribute to the great-great uncle of owner/winemaker Scot Bilbro. Sourced from the rocky hillside terraces of the Angeli Estate in Alexander Valley and the cool, protected McDowell Valley estate, this wine reflects the balance of warm days and cold nights that define these sites. Fresh, dark fruit and earthy savor give the wine a taut, structured core, while its style bridges the richness of modern California with Old World restraint. The dry fly on the label nods to the Bilbro family’s fishing roots and Armé’s enduring legacy.

VINEYARD

This wine's fruit comes from the Angeli Estate in Alexander Valley and McDowell Valley Estate. Angeli's rocky hillside terraces enjoy foggy mornings, hot afternoons, and cool nights, balancing warmth and freshness. McDowell Valley's mountain-surrounded cold sink ensures cool nights, preserving acidity and vibrancy.

WINEMAKING

Fermented in stainless steel tanks and barrel aged in neutral French oak barrels for 20 months before bottling.

VINTAGE

The 2022 season, marked by a dry winter, frosty spring, and summer heat spikes, led to a lighter crop with concentrated flavors, ripe tannins, and fruit-forward wines.

TASTING NOTE

Armé has floral, mint, and sage aromas that lead to a fresh, rounded palate with grippy tannins and a velvety core. Notes of blueberry and Kalamata olive add focus and length to this intriguing, balanced wine.

FOOD PAIRING

Steak, mushroom risotto

Color

Red

Blend %

92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec

Appellation

North Coast

Certifications

SUSTAINABLE

Farming

Sustainable

Alcohol

14.6%

Suggested Retail Price

$33

Reviews

93

Vinous - January 16, 2025 "Another gorgeous wine in this range from Marietta. Bold and racy in the glass, with generous forward fruit, the 2022 is all charm. Succulent red cherry, spice, blood orange, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and crushed leaves all meld together. This mid-weight, flavorful Cabernet Sauvignon delivers the goods, big time. Dollops of Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot round out the blend."

Trade Materials

Other Wines by this Producer

Nadi Riesling

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This Dry Riesling comes from a special vineyard in the Cienega Valley appellation inland of Monterey, California. These old, dry farmed, head pruned vines produce a small but concentrated crop. The second oldest Riesling in California, this block was planted in 1964.

Gibson Block Syrah

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Made from the oldest Syrah vines in California, in the heart of the McDowell Valley AVA, this wine reflects the hidden property where it is grown - quiet, obscure and profound. This ancient, dry farmed, mixed block next to the original Gibson Homestead has been producing grapes for over a hundred years. Limited in production due to the unique grape source, this wine is built to enjoy with food.

Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon

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From a high elevation site in the Yorkville Highlands with coastal influence and large diurnal shifts, the Game Trail Cabernet offers an intense, fragrant, savory, and fresh style of Cabernet that speaks of site and demands to be paired with food. This area, with trails worn by mushroom hunters and wild game that travel through the woods, was a refuge for Chris Bilbro, who hunted here and searched for Chanterelles. The mushroom on the label is a tribute to this unique place and its significance.

Angeli Zinfandel

Alexander Valley, California

Marietta Cellars sits at the entrance to a small canyon off Alexander Valley. Known as Angeli Ranch after the family who originally settled there in 1886, the property’s vineyards connect gravel swales from the Russian River to terraced knolls invisible from the valley floor. The extremes of this site create a wine that is powerful but has surprising elegance and clarity.

Christo Red Blend

North Coast, California

Named and styled after Chris Bilbro, affectionately called "Christo" by his great-aunt Marietta, this Rhone varietal blend is gentle but powerful, pleasurable but deep, and refined while raw. An ode to Scot's father and founder of Marietta Cellars, this blend is largely Syrah from the McDowell estate, blended with Petite Sirah from the Angeli Estate and Grenache from the Yorkville Highlands Estate. The pig snout on the label is a reminder of how Chris Bilbro made wild boar sausage and carted his creations around the country to share with chefs and wine lovers alike as he sold Marietta wines.

Román Zinfandel

North Coast, California

Named after cellarmaster Román Cisneros who has worked at Marietta for over 32 years, this Estate Zinfandel is from the Angeli estate vineyard in Alexander Valley and the McDowell Valley estate vineyard. One of the grape varieties that Marietta is famous for, this wine captures the bright, juicy character of Zinfandel, and hearkens to an era before dark, thick and oaky styles of Zinfandel took hold.

Old Vine Riesling

California, United States

Marietta's Old Vine Riesling is the most recent and unique extension of the Old Vine series (or "OVR"). Originally intended as a gift for Scot's partner, Lisa, who is German, the bone dry style of Riesling became a fan favorite and permanent addition. While it is the only wine is the lineup that is not estate grown, it comes from some of California's oldest Riesling vines and offers an extraordinary value and delightful drinking experience.

Old Vine Red

Sonoma/Mendocino, California, United States

Affectionately known as "OVR," Marietta's Old Vine Red is a proprietary red wine made to replicate the field blends of the old vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. A groundbreaking combination of grape varieties and multiple vintages first produced in 1982, this wine has blazed the path for red blends for decades. With an historic underground following, it is one of the longest lasting and best known red blends produced today. Predominantly comprised of Zinfandel, Old Vine Red combines pure fruit, a supple mouth feel and a rich, solid structure.

Old Vine Rosé

California, United States

Marietta's Old Vine Rosé is a perfect extension of the Old Vine series. Made in a Provençale, direct-press style from some of the oldest Syrah and Grenache vines in California, it is fresh, nuanced, and perfectly balanced to enjoy with food or on its own. As always with the "OVR" wines, it delivers a lot more substance and pleasure than you could expect.