Marietta Cellars
Old Vine Riesling 2020
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.
Vineyard
The fruit for this wine comes from the Wirz Vineyard, four hours’ drive south and also atop the San Andreas Fault. Planted in 1965 and now hand-tended by Pat Wirz, these dry-farmed vines are among the oldest remaining Riesling vines in California. These gnarled old vines rest at about 1,000 feet of elevation in the Gabilan Mountains, 25 miles east of Monterey Bay, on a bed of decomposed granite and limestone.
Winemaking
All of the fruit for the Old Vine Riesling is hand harvested, whole-cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel. 60% is aged in neutral barrels and 40% is aged in stainless steel.
Tasting Note
This wine balances tropical, citrus, and jasmine aromas all intermingled with the minerality of an ocean breeze. With a rich, textured, waxy mouth, the long finish is a perfect counterpoint to the tart, lip-smacking acidity. Completely dry and a great foil for food, particularly anything with a shell.
Food Pairing
Pair the Old Vine Riesling with mussels, oysters, sushi and raw bar fare or as a counter balance to rich and spicy foods.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Riesling
Appellation
California, United States
Farming
Organic
Alcohol
12.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$18
Reviews
"Lushly fruited and mouth coating"
Wine Advocate - June 8, 2021 "The 2020 Old Vine Riesling comes from very old dry-farmed, head-pruned vines in San Benito County. It is exotic and perfumed with white peach, lilac, manuka honey and petrol scents. The palate is lushly fruited and mouth coating, which gives it a sense of sweetness, although it is technically dry. It has a spine of racy acidity and finishes long and full of flavor." - E.B.
"Soft and fresh"
James Suckling - July 20, 2021 "A fruity white with kerosene and sliced-pear character. Medium-bodied with nice acidity and a fruity finish. Soft and fresh. " - J.S.
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Nadi Riesling
Cienega Valley, California
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
McDowell Valley, California
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
Yorkville Highlands, California
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.
Armé Cabernet Sauvignon
North Coast, California
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
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 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.
