Zinfandel of the Month – Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #71

Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list.

The June Zinfandel of the Month is the Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot #71.

I chose this wine as the Zinfandel of the Month because it was the first time I had seen it in the Seattle market in over a year. In the past it has been widely available at most grocery stores. Perhaps there was a distributor issue?

The history of Marietta Cellars goes back almost 40 years. It is a true American success story that merits the attention of every red wine drinker who wants to drink exceptional wines at fair prices. Marietta Cellars was founded by Chris Bilbro in 1978. In recent years Chris’s son, Scot, has taken over most of the responsibilities. Scot’s brother Jake is running the show at Limerick Lane Wines while his brother Sam is running Idlewild Wines.

Old Vine Red (OVR) is a proprietary red wine made to replicate the field blends of many of the old vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Predominantly comprised of Zinfandel, OVR is a multi vintage blend. The lot # represents the current version of this wine.

Purple in color. 13.5% ABV. Charming nose of red fruits, plums, earth and pepper. Medium to full bodied with perfect acidity. Crisp, fresh and well balanced. Claret style Zinfandel. Cherry, raspberry liqueur, anise and pepper on the palate. Medium length on the finish. The best version of this wine in recent memory. Best over the next 2-4 years.

My rating: 91 points.

As always, tremendous value at around $13 a bottle. A wine to buy by the case. Marietta Cellars makes several other wines that are noteworthy. Look for the Angeli in particular.