From the dreamy 2021 vintage, Marietta's Angeli Estate Zinfandel is in fine form.....like nearly perfect form....like 96 points.
It comes from the Bilbro family's Angeli Estate in the Alexander Valley, and it just snagged a 96 point rating from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. It's Marietta's top Zinfandel, and if you know Marietta, you know they do really "good things" with Red Zin...
When my rep let me know 10 six-packs had landed, I said CARPE DIEM :) and proceeded to buy every single bottle. They will not last long...
2021 Marietta Cellars Angeli Estate Zinfandel
96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
ORDER NOW in our online store.
I can't think of a winery that embodies the American dream more than Marietta Cellars. Founded by Chris Bilbro in 1978, the winery got its start with only a handful of purchased grapes and one wine, their Old Vine Red. This wine, along with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, helped establish Marietta Cellars as a standout winery in Sonoma and Mendocino. Today, their wines are better than ever.
The Angeli Ranch is a special piece of vineyard land. Sold to Chris Bilbro in 1990 by Viola Angeli, whose family had originally settled the land in 1886, this old vine site sits in a canyon in the heart of the Alexander Valley. The old, gnarled vines from this site yield a bright, tense, and mineral-rich expression of Zinfandel. Don't worry, there's plenty of fruit, but this is not a "jam bomb" of a Zin.
The Wine Advocate summed it up beautifully. "Grapes for the 2021 Angeli Zinfandel are picked in three passes. Proprietor Scot Bilbro notes that Zinfandel's naturally varying levels of ripeness can lead to raisiny flavors if all the grapes are picked at a higher brix. "If you bring Zinfandel in over 25 brix, that means the juice inside is at 25, but the skins have a lot more sugar, and the level will go up to 28 or more," he explains. "So, we pick at 23, 24 and just shy of 25. You can enable the wine to show off layers with those different picks." This strategy led to a gorgeous Angeli in 2021 that is incredibly expressive and perfumed. Blueberry, boysenberry and blackberry give way to wafts of graphite, gobs of violet and even touches of tangerine. The medium to full-bodied palate explodes with concentrated fruit and expansive layers of floral perfume and spice. It has a powdery frame, bursts of mouthwatering acidity and a very long, nuanced finish. Drink through 2035."
Yep, this is a BIG old glass of delicious American wine. If you want to drink it now, give it 30 minutes or so in the decanter, and it will bloom beautifully. An excellent foil to charred scallions, leg of lamb, and rosemary-scented potatoes, it would also be great with a creamy chocolate dessert. It's great without food too. Once you buy it, it's totally your call.
Just 60 bottles up for grabs, and I guarantee you they'll be gone in a jiffy. You know what to do next!
ORDER NOW in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville