100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food pairings: Braised short ribs, roasted lamb, roasted squab with chanterelle mushrooms and herbed potatoes, and other grilled or roasted meats and game.

Winemaking: Game Trail is part of Marietta's estate series, wines made with terroir in mind above all else from sites that had long stood out in the family's blends. The 2022 was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 20 months in neutral French oak barrels, so the wine speaks of its site rather than of new oak. A dry winter, frosty spring and summer heat spikes gave a lighter crop with concentrated flavors and ripe tannins.

Vineyards and terroir: The wine comes entirely from a small block of Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon planted by Chris Bilbro at 1,400 feet on a south-facing ridge in the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County, the mountain pass between the north end of Alexander Valley and the west end of Anderson Valley. Coastal influence brings afternoon winds and very cold nights, and full sun, limited water and shale-rich, rocky soils give tiny, thick-skinned berries the size of blueberries, deep color and plenty of structure. The rugged woods around the vineyard, crossed by deer, wild pigs and mushroom hunters, were a refuge where Chris Bilbro hunted and searched for chanterelles, which is why a mushroom appears on the label.

Family and history: Marietta Cellars was founded in 1978 by Sonoma native Chris Bilbro, starting with a handful of purchased grapes, and rose to prominence with its Old Vine Red, a California red blend that helped create the category. Over the decades the family acquired estate vineyards in Geyserville, McDowell Valley and Yorkville. His son Scot Bilbro has been owner and winemaker since 2012, and the family welcomes visitors at Marietta's tasting room just off the plaza in Healdsburg.

In the pictures: The Marietta tasting room on Center Street in Healdsburg, and inside the Healdsburg tasting room (photos courtesy of Marietta Cellars).