The principles behind the winemaking are nature, craft and simplicity. There are no preconceived stylistic goals, other than balance and appropriateness with food. The wine does not need to be the same every year, it is simply intended to represent the vineyards from which it is made, and the season in which it was grown.
MATTHIASSON also produces wines made using unusual varieties and/or uncommon winemaking techniques, including skin-fermented Ribolla gialla, low alcohol Cabernet franc, Refosco, whole cluster-pressed Syrah, botrysized Flora dessert wine, and rich aged Chardonnay that has never seen new oak only available to our Wine Club members. CLICK HERE to read more about these wines.
The 2011 White Wine, is a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Ribolla gialla, Semillon, and Tocai fruilano. The wine is the flintiest/stoniest vintage to date, almost Reisling-like at first, and thanks to the extremely long and cool growing season there is tremendous natural acidity tempered with a lot of flesh and ripeness. Flavors include white peach, kafir lime, lychee nut, grapefruit, and pineapple, along with stones, oyster shells, and freshly baled straw. It’s our most complex vintage to date. 895 Cases produced.
The blend is 61 percent Merlot, 28 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 percent Cabernet franc, 5 percent Petit verdot, and 1 percent Malbec. This vintage has the freshness and liveliness that we strive for, and which is hard to attain in the Napa Valley, where richness and power come so easily. The aroma includes mint, dried herbs and earth, red and black cherries, dark chocolate and ripe blackberries. The flavor in the palate is also of dark chocolate with a fruit core of ripe cane berries, and the finish continues with chocolate, black fruit, and black tea. 280 Cases produced.