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Marietta Cellars

Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Yorkville Highlands, California

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The Yorkville Highlands are the mountain pass between the north end of Alexander Valley and the west end of Anderson Valley. From a high elevation site 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 purity and wildness.

The estate series from Marietta is made with terroir in mind above all else. For many years these sites were included in blends, though they routinely stood out as extraordinary. These wines are true expressions of unique sites, crafted with freshness, tension and longevity in mind.

Vineyard

The small block of Cabernet Sauvignon used for the Game Trail Cabernet is perched looking south from 1,400 feet elevation up on the ridge. Coastal influence and large diurnal swings create small berries, thick skins, deep pigmentation, and tons of structure. Clone 6 Cabernet sets sparingly with berries the size of blueberries and no fruit to fruit contact, so it is cane pruned and left to hang as many clusters as possible.

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

“With a dark, dusty, salty mix of carpaccio, sage, and thyme, this mountain Cabernet with coastal influences cranks up with nuance and tension. Inky mulberry stains the mouth followed by puckery intensity, with a silty, dense finish. Deep and clean, tasting is akin to diving into a shaded mineral swimming hole surrounded by craggy boulders and emerging refreshed, vibrating, and wildly awake.” – Scot Bilbro, Winemaker

Food Pairing

This wine begs for grilled asparagus, roasted mushrooms, and blistered tomatoes with boar collar or a rib roast.

Color

Red

Blend %

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation

Yorkville Highlands, California

Farming

100% estate fruit, organically farmed

Alcohol

14.7%

Suggested Retail Price

$50

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Marietta Cellars Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon Bottle Shot

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Christo Red Blend

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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.

Armé Cabernet Sauvignon

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Named after Armé, the husband of Marietta and great-great uncle of Owner/Winemaker Scot Bilbro, this Cabernet Sauvignon conveys a taut freshness and aromatic purity. Stylistically balanced between modern California and Old World, this wine is dense with fresh, dark fruit and tempered with a savory, earthy character. The dry fly on the label is a reference to Chris Bilbro's long family history of fishing with his great uncle Armé along the waterways that now adjoin the three estate vineyards.

Román Zinfandel

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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

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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

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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

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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.