100% Riesling

Food pairings: Oysters and other shellfish, grilled shrimp with garlic butter, seafood pasta, ceviche and light seafood dishes.

Winemaking: The grapes were hand harvested, whole-cluster pressed and fermented cool in stainless steel, at 56°F over 28 days. Malolactic fermentation was prevented through temperature control to keep the wine taut and bright, and the wine then spent 10 months on its lees in stainless steel for added depth and a subtle, flinty reductive note. 2021 was a vintage of extremely low yields, a near-perfect ripening season and great aromatic intensity; the light crop ripened swiftly and evenly, leaving time to pick every block at just the right moment.

Vineyards and terroir: This dry Riesling comes from the Wirz Vineyard in the Cienega Valley appellation, inland of Monterey on California's Central Coast. Its old, dry-farmed, head-pruned vines are among the oldest Riesling plantings in California, and they give a small but concentrated crop.

Family and history: Marietta Cellars was founded in 1978 by Chris Bilbro, a Sonoma native whose winemaking roots go back three generations. Starting with only a handful of purchased grapes, Marietta rose to prominence with its Old Vine Red, the California red blend that essentially created the category, and has slowly grown its estate holdings in Sonoma and Mendocino. Chris's son Scot Bilbro has been winemaker since 2012. Nadi is the newest and most unusual member of Marietta's Family series: it is an homage to Scot's partner Lisa, whose path led from Germany to India, Africa and California.

In the pictures: Founder Chris Bilbro and winemaker Scot Bilbro in the barrel cellar; steam-cleaning barrels in the Marietta cellar; and a walk through a Marietta vineyard (photos courtesy of Marietta Cellars via Vintus; vineyard photo by Paige Green).