Region: California
Grapes: Red Blend
Alcohol: 13.5%
Notes on the Wine
Old Vine Red 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, Old Vine Red combines pure fruit, a supple mouth feel and a rich, solid structure. A groundbreaking combination of varietals and multiple vintages first produced in 1982, this wine has blazed the path for red blends for decades. With a historic underground following, it is one of the longest lasting and best known red blends produced today.
Notes on the Producer
At Marietta, we place a lot of emphasis on our instincts. In all facets of our business, when faced with a decision, we don’t just look at the trajectory of the industry, we look within. Our instincts tell us that good equipment is good equipment – it doesn’t have to be new. And our instincts tell us that in many cases the best tools are our hands. It still feels right to make the best wine possible and to sell it at a fair price. Our instincts tell us that being honest, being consistent, working hard, and thinking outside the box is more important than anything else in business.
Our cellar crew instinctively knows what we do and why we do it. They jump from harvest to barrel work, to bottling, to landscaping without blinking. We are hands on and busy year-round. During lunchtime, the crew can be found without fail playing cards in the winter and basketball or soccer in the summer. There is a community garden onsite where much time is spent after work producing beautiful fruit and vegetables. The majority of the crew has worked with us for over ten years.
We farm over 400 acres of our own vineyard. We acquired them by some strange combination of chasing overheard stories, hunting and fishing, and buying grapes from wonderful farmers all over two counties, while constantly keeping an eye out for potential… After years of work and play we owned gnarly, historic, semi-productive vineyards that needed care and attention. We have been happily investing time and energy dreaming about what they might become.
Our Vineyard Manager, Ben Kaisi, is a 20-year veteran of the construction industry. Which is why aside from perfectly tended grapes we have immaculately built pump houses. Our Vineyard Foreman, Soccoro Casillas, has farmed our vineyards for over 20 years with the same crews. And most importantly, our vineyard workers work all year in any condition, and show incredible stamina, cheer, and pride in their work.
Our crew does a lot of work by hand. It improves our attention to detail and allows us to keep everyone busy all year. We work hard towards sustainability: we minimize our water usage, remove weeds by physical means at every opportunity, and focus on compost, soil structure and overall property health with every decision.
