Marietta Cellars

Old Vine Rosé 2020

California, United States

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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.

Vineyard

The fruit for this wine comes from Marietta’s McDowell Valley estate, which is renowned for Rhône varietals and home to some of the oldest Syrah and Grenache Gris in California. These unique vines are six feet tall, head-trained, and dry farmed. This vineyard, in a valley surrounded by mountains, benefits from the cold sink that ensures cools nights and preserves acidity and freshness.

Winemaking

75% Syrah and 25% Grenache (some of which is Grenache Gris) is hand-harvested early in the season and whole-cluster pressed before stainless steel fermentation. Aged in neutral oak barrels for 3 months with weekly lees stirring softens the edges of this bright and vibrant rosé.

Tasting Note

Pale pink with amazing clarity and a touch of neon electricity in the glass, this rosé shows pink grapefruit and tart plum on the nose. It is bright and racy, balancing acid and minerality to create a long and complete mouthfeel. A brilliant palate cleanser which freshens, sharpens, and is the perfect way to start 2021 with heightened focus.

Food Pairing

Pair the Old Vine Rosé with grilled vegetables, lemony shrimp, simply prepared salmon, chicken, and light pasta dishes.

Color

Rose

Grape Varieties

Grenache, Grenache Gris, Syrah

Appellation

California, United States

Farming

The Old Vine Rosé is made from 100% estate fruit, all of which is organically farmed

Alcohol

13.5%

Suggested Retail Price

$18

Reviews

"Fully fruited and fresh"

Wine Advocate - June 8, 2021 "Medium cherry-pink in color, the 2020 Old Vine Rosé offers fresh berry and melon fruit with notes of baker's yeast, citrus and flowers. The palate is fully fruited and fresh, with a touch of texture anchoring the finish." - E.B. 

"Fresh, creamy-textured"

James Suckling - July 20, 2021 "A fresh, creamy-textured rosé with candied-cherry, cranberry with some strawberry character. It’s medium-bodied with pleasing fruit and a delicious finish. Syrah, grenache noir and grenache gris. More like a light red in texture." - J.S.

More on Marietta Cellars Old Vine Rosé 2020

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August 12, 2021 - James Suckling's team compiled a roundup of their favorite rosés under $20 to enjoy this summer, including Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato 2019 and Marietta Cellars California Old Vine Rosé 2020.…

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.

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.

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 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.