Marietta Cellars, Geyserville, California

www.mariettacellars.com

My best value wineries of the year: Bodega Tres Picos in Spain, Marietta Cellars in Alexander Valley, Louis Martini in Sonoma and Napa, and Domaine Lefage in the Rousillon.
Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The foundation of Marietta Cellars has always been family. It started half a century ago at Great Aunt Marietta’s table where Dad learned about simple, good cooking, hard work and honesty. We feel blessed to be carrying on those traditions, working alongside each other, making decisions together, and going through every day as brothers. But we’re just as proud of making wines that matter to you and your family. Wines with a place at your table.

One of our most important goals is to make sure everyone who works with us feels as though they contribute and are valued. We believe people are happiest when they have purpose and pride in their work. So we take a thoughtful, roll up your sleeves approach to every step. Marietta Cellars is a true working winery. There’s no tasting room or visitor center. We put all of our efforts into what makes us proudest – making high quality, affordable and consistent wines.

Sometimes you have to trust your gut. Dad first worked in hospital administration where the bureaucracy literally burned a hole in his stomach. Shook to the core, he walked away from a life that didn’t fit and began making wine with his young family in a rented cow barn outside Healdsburg. Every decision he made was determined by what felt right. No rules, just the values of honesty and fairness passed down from his family. That same approach encourages us to break the mold and make unique wines in an alternative fashion.

Marietta Cellars has grown from 4,000 to 100,000 cases of wine by purchasing high quality fruit from local friends and farmers. By nourishing those relationships we’ve managed to acquire some of those same vineyards that we have been working with for years. In the case of Geyserville, our father worked the land and gained the trust of Viola before he purchased it. The McDowell Vineyard relationship would never have happened if not for a freshly caught abalone. We’ve always relied on friendships, community and personal connections. The results are in every bottle of Marietta Cellars wine.