Marietta's Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is back, it's from the glorious 2021 vintage, and it's drinking like a dream! This 93-point-rated California Cab is so serious and so flipping good.
Kudos to Scott Bilbro and his team at Marietta Cellars. This 2nd generation, farmer-run winery produces some of our country's greatest values. Their Armé Cab always grabs 91-94 points, it comes from two cool and slow ripening, certified organic sites, and it delivers a ton of complexity at such a fair price.
2021 was a great year for Cabernet in Northern California, and this is one of the top values of the vintage. Drink now and over the next decade.
2021 Marietta Cellars 'Armé' Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 92 points Vinous Media
In my opinion, Armé is Marietta's best value. Don't get me wrong, their Old Vine Red is always a ton of wine for the money, but Armé delivers more nuanced and sophisticated flavors. Every time I taste it, I comment that it drinks like a good $50 Napa Cab, it just doesn't cost that much...
I also love how it offers up the best of both "worlds." Combining the ripe fruit character of a classic California Cab along with the spicy, herbal, and savory nuances of a Bordeaux, it pleases lots of palates, and it's totally unique.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate described it very well. "The 2021 Armé Cabernet Sauvignon has pretty tones of blueberries and black cherries with nuances of lavender, thyme and underbrush. The palate is medium-bodied, chalky and refreshing, with surprising depth of crunchy fruit and floral sparks across the long, juicy finish. Drink now through 2034."
I love it too, and my notes were similar. Great nose of fresh dark cherry, mulberry, leather, tobacco, mint. Not too heavy but packs a punch -- more medium-bodied, but the tannin is there and the acidity adds gorgeous lift. Good, ripe tannin, but this has room to grow. Drink now with grilled meats, save a few to drink b/w 2030 and 2034.
Full-bodied, deep, and chewy, this has all of the attributes I typically associate with a more expensive Cabernet from Napa or Sonoma.
