Marietta Cellars

Chris Bilbro founded Marietta Cellars in 1978, starting the winemaking operation in a rented cow barn in Geyserville, California. He was a Sonoma County native whose family had been involved in local winemaking for three generations. He named the winery after his great aunt Marietta, a woman who had a significant influence on his upbringing and his perspective on hospitality. Chris initially focused on sourcing fruit from local family growers to create table wines. In 2012, management of the estate passed to his sons, Scot and Jake Bilbro. In 2019, Scot Bilbro became the sole proprietor and lead winemaker after purchasing his brother's interest in the company.

The estate manages over 300 acres of vineyards across northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino counties. Primary holdings include the McDowell Valley estate, which features some of the oldest Syrah and Grenache plantings in California, with some blocks dating back to the late 19th century. Other significant sites are located in the Alexander Valley and the Yorkville Highlands. Winemaking focuses on sustainable farming and site specific expressions through traditional methods. To ensure the consistency of their signature multi-vintage blends, the winery utilizes a combination of stainless steel tanks and neutral oak barrels. This approach allows them to preserve the purity of the fruit while building complexity through a large inventory of previous years' wines.

Marietta Cellars is best known for Old Vine Red, a multi-vintage Zinfandel based blend first released in 1982. This label helped establish the category of high quality non-vintage California reds by using lot numbers instead of vintage dates to maintain a consistent house style. The current portfolio includes the OVR Series and several estate specific labels such as the Armé Cabernet Sauvignon and the Christo Rhone style blend. Higher tier offerings, including the Angeli Zinfandel and Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon, highlight specific parcels within their estate vineyards. The winery maintains a widespread reputation for providing reliable quality and high value across its entire range of California wines.