Marietta Cellars, Roman, North Coast, California 2021

“The 2021 Román Zinfandel is juicy, alluring and easy to drink without sacrificing complexity, offering tremendous quality for its modest price. Blended with 4% Petite Sirah and 4% Barbera, the nose is bursting with kaleidoscopic yellow peaches, strawberries and raspberries plus nuances of sage, aniseed and Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate has a finely chalky frame, fireworks of fresh acidity and generous layers of spicy fruit that call you back for another sip.”-95WA

Starting with only a handful of purchased grapes in 1978, Marietta Cellars has been a standout winery in Sonoma and Mendocino since the very start. Founded by Chris Bilbro, a Sonoma native with winemaking roots dated 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. 

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. 

The fruit for this wine comes from the Angeli Estate vineyard in Anderson Valley and the McDowell Valley estate. The Angeli Ranch, first planted to vines in the late 1880s, is a 35 acre vineyard connecting Zinfandel planted on gravel swales from the Russian River to terraced knolls planted with Cabernet. Foggy mornings along the Russian River burn off to hot afternoons followed by chilly nights, striking 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. The Román Zinfandel is made from 100% estate fruit, all of which is organically farmed.

92% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah, 4% Barbera