Wine Advocate 94:
The 2018 Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 7% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot. Medium ruby-purple, it has pure, classic aromas of cassis, graphite, violets, loamy earth and tobacco. The intensely flavored palate is light on its feet with loads of juicy lift and a soft tannic frame, and it finishes long and floral. It's an incredibly elegant style, particularly at this price point!
And lest you think that review is a fluke, here’s Vinous on the 93-point 2017 and 2016 vintages. (Keep in mind, the Wine Advocate rates the 2018 three points higher.)
Vinous on the 2017:
The 2017 Armé is another gorgeous wine in this range from Marietta. Inky dark blue and purplish fruit, lavender, menthol and spice all grace this sumptuous racy and inky wine with great balance. The 2017 is a super value in California Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow.
And the 2016:
The 2016 Armé is another superb wine in the middle tier of the Marietta range. Fresh, savory and super-expressive, the Armé has a lot going on. Black cherry, sage, lavender, menthol and licorice give the wine striking savory nuance to play off the dark Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. More than anything else, though, the Armé is a superb value in California Cabernet.
Suckling also rates this 2018 the best Armé yet, at 93 points.
What makes this Cabernet so special, in my view, is it’s not only immensely impressive and delicious for the money: it’s also utterly real.
It’s organically farmed and raised in all neutral oak. But even without a lot of flashy oak, the material is so strong here that it gets universally top reviews.
My kind of California Cabernet.
