Marietta Cellars
Nadi Riesling 2021
Cienega Valley, California
Nadi is an homage to Scot Bilbro’s partner Lisa, who he says “creates as naturally and ceaselessly as she breathes, brightening all around her.” Her path from Germany to India, Africa, and California is strewn with beauty. 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. This wine shows white peach and apricot on the nose with an oyster shell minerality and waxy honeycomb aromas to provide depth and complexity. Long and mouth coating richness gives way to a tingly, lemon tart sensation before finally leaving the palate clean and fresh. It is bone dry yet generous, with exceptional clarity and verve befitting its namesake.
VINEYARD
This Dry Riesling comes from a special vineyard called Wirz 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.
WINEMAKING
Nadi Riesling is hand harvested at 21 brix, whole-cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel. Fermentation occurred at 56° Fahrenheit and took 28 days to complete. Malolactic fermentation was prevented via temperature control. Aged 10 months on lees in stainless steel for added depth and slight reductive undernotes.
VINTAGE
2021 was a vintage defined by extremely low yields, a perfect ripening season, and great aromatic intensity and flavor in the finished wines. Due to the lighter crop the vineyards were able to ripen swiftly and evenly. Harvest started early and, as it was the second light vintage in a row, there was plenty of time and space to pick each block at the perfect moment. Between the easy ow and the concentration of flavors, 2021 was an excellent vintage.
TASTING NOTE
This wine shows white peach and apricot on the nose with an oyster shell minerality and waxy honeycomb aromas to provide depth and complexity. Long and mouth coating richness gives way to a tingly, lemon tart sensation before finally leaving the palate clean and fresh. It is bone dry yet generous, with exceptional clarity and verve befitting its namesake.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Riesling
Appellation
Cienega Valley, California
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$26
Reviews
"White peach, candle smoke, lime, biscuit"
Wine Advocate - October 23, 2023
“The 2021 Dry Riesling Wirz Vineyard comes from some of the oldest Riesling vines in California; the head-pruned, dry-farmed vines were planted in 1952 in Cienega Valley on limestone. It's spicy, delicious and hard to put down, opening with gregarious scents of white peach, candle smoke, lime, biscuit and loads of floral perfume. The light-bodied palate is dry and shimmery, balancing racy acidity with creamy citrus fruit and flinty undertones, and it has a long, spicy finish."- E.B. 10/23
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Gibson Block Syrah
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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
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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
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Christo Red Blend
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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
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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.
Román Zinfandel
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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
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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
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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.
Old Vine Rosé
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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.