Marietta Cellars
Armé Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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.
Vineyard
The fruit for this wine comes from the Angeli Estate vineyard in Alexander Valley and the McDowell Valley estate. The Cabernet on the Angeli Estate rests on rocky hillside terraces. Foggy mornings along the Russian River burn off to hot afternoons followed by chilly nights. Coupled with deep gravel swales and rocky hills, this vineyard offers the perfect balance between warm days and cool nights. The McDowell Valley estate, situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, benefits from the cold sink that ensures cool nights and preserves acidity and freshness.
Winemaking
An late harvest for the Bordeaux varieties in 2018 was followed by a three-week fermentation and 20 months of aging in neutral barrels. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Merlot, 4% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot.
Vintage
The 2018 Harvest was a grower’s dream, but it was not without its exciting moments. Spring rains encouraged healthy roots and set up great canopies. The fruit set and cluster development was flawless. Then August and September clocked in as mild, even bordering on cool. Suddenly, the crop’s development potentially started to stall out, but the vines kept working and the first lovely, perfectly ripe fruit was harvested in September. Early October rains soaked the second half of the crop and elicited fears of rot and lost fruit as more storms lined up. Miraculously, the storms failed to materialize, providing a long, dry October and November with beautiful sunny days which slowly ripened the remaining crop. Long seasons like these allow early tannin maturation while the cool weather protects the acid…. All leading to developed, powerful tannins with bright acid at lower than typical brix.
Tasting Note
A rich, dark and textural yet smooth and even mouthfeel from the achieved phenolic ripeness at lower sugars. Balanced between modern California and Old World, this wine is dense with layers of black currant and dark cherry counterbalanced secondary flavors of sandalwood, sandalwood, and kalamata. The clean and focused mouthfeel hints at mint and briar under all the power.
Food Pairing
The Armé Cabernet Sauvignon pairs beautifully with herbed roasts, asparagus, garlicky beans, and all manner of savory foods.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Appellation
North Coast, California
Farming
The Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% estate fruit, all of which is organically farmed
Alcohol
14.6%
Suggested Retail Price
$27
Reviews
"Incredibly elegant style, particularly at this price point"
Wine Advocate - June 8, 2021 "The 2018 Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 7% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot. Medium ruby-purple, it has pure, classic aromas of cassis, graphite, violets, loamy earth and tobacco. The intensely flavored palate is light on its feet with loads of juicy lift and a soft tannic frame, and it finishes long and floral. It's an incredibly elegant style, particularly at this price point!"
"Fruity with balance and softness"
James Suckling - July 20, 2021 "Round-textured and fruity with balance and softness, yet freshness at the same time. Medium-bodied. Attractive berry, currant and sweet green-tobacco undertones." - J.S.
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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.
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.
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 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.
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.