Matthiasson, Napa Valley Red Blend
Other, United States 2014 (750mL)
Regular price$75.00
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Matthiasson, Napa Valley Red Blend
You’d think living in Napa would make securing a small allocation of Matthiasson’s Napa Valley Red an easier task—wrong! We pulled just about every string imaginable and kept Steve Matthiasson’s phone buzzing so we could offer today’s mind-blowing red to our subscribers.
However (as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now), only a few hundred cases were produced and a trace amount of that made it into our warehouse. We know you love elegant Napa Cabernet, the complexities of serious Bordeaux, and the purity of natural farming, and Steve Matthiasson, who is a viticultural and winemaking mastermind, seamlessly blends them together. The result is a jaw-dropping, rarified red that speaks to a bygone era of Napa Cabernet. Better yet, because the Matthiassons understand the aging capability of this singular bottle—and I’m sure most of you know there’s nothing more sacrilegious than opening a world-class wine prematurely—they aged it several years before its official release. And now, as the peals of Christmas bells begin sounding off, we can finally offer it to you. Steve is a San Francisco Chronicle “Winemaker of the Year” winner and one of the most talked-about young producers on the California scene today. You want the greatest marriage of finesse, fruit purity, and minerality? This limited label has no equal.
Matthiasson’s wines consistently outperform their price points (while impressing even the most stubborn Bordeaux junkies) and smelling/tasting his 2014 red blend will immediately send you into a triple-digit price range. If you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing their wines before, this is no exception to their pure, elegant, and utterly perfumed style. You can expect ripe currants, boysenberry, and fresh plums next to a formidable backbone of crushed earth, fresh herbs graphite, cigar box, lead, and tobacco leaf. The palate comes in at medium-plus, with a refreshing layer of red and black berry fruits alongside Matthiasson’s signature rush of savory earth and minerality. It’s hard to reproduce the jaw-dropping experience in this limited medium, so I recommend you just dive in headfirst. You’ll taste the delicately interwoven spice from a judicious use of French oak and the brilliant presence of perfectly—and I mean perfectly—ripe fruits. This is a wine that pays tribute to the Napa of old—you know, the ones that consistently competed against and beat the greatest Bordeaux had to offer? While purely gorgeous right now, I can’t wait for you to pull the cork when it enters its ‘mature’ prime, around its 10th birthday, but you better keep holding bottles well beyond that too! When consuming, do so around 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and treat it to traditional French cuisine: entrecôte à la Bordelaise. The attached recipe provides various options, but I would personally go for a tender ribeye in a red wine sauce. Cheers!
However (as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now), only a few hundred cases were produced and a trace amount of that made it into our warehouse. We know you love elegant Napa Cabernet, the complexities of serious Bordeaux, and the purity of natural farming, and Steve Matthiasson, who is a viticultural and winemaking mastermind, seamlessly blends them together. The result is a jaw-dropping, rarified red that speaks to a bygone era of Napa Cabernet. Better yet, because the Matthiassons understand the aging capability of this singular bottle—and I’m sure most of you know there’s nothing more sacrilegious than opening a world-class wine prematurely—they aged it several years before its official release. And now, as the peals of Christmas bells begin sounding off, we can finally offer it to you. Steve is a San Francisco Chronicle “Winemaker of the Year” winner and one of the most talked-about young producers on the California scene today. You want the greatest marriage of finesse, fruit purity, and minerality? This limited label has no equal.
Having moved to Napa and toyed with a small parcel of vines in their backyard in 2002, how is it that Steve and his wife, Jill Klein Matthiasson, stand out among the hundreds of producers in the Napa Valley today? Well, their wines pack an astonishing amount of flavor into every ounce, at modest alcohol levels, and Steve’s deep knowledge in viticulture allows him to harness the power of the soil and vine. As stated on their website, the Matthiasons—who met at UC Davis and emphasize that their production is a family affair—believe that winemaking “...is a natural extension of farming.” It’s because of this philosophy that they’ve built a deep list of clients whom they assist with organic and sustainable farming (e.g. Araujo Estate, Spottswoode, Chappellet, and Dalla Valle).
So, yes, sustainability and organic farming is a necessity in their own vineyards and when they do source other fruit, they make sure it has been cared for in the same way. Their Napa Valley Red Blend consists of Merlot (46%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) rounded out with other Bordeaux varieties—Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The Merlot comes from the “Red Hen” vineyard (in Oak knoll, owned by the Araujo family) and produces tiny, superbly concentrated berries at very low yields. The Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the “Dead Fred” vineyard, rooted in rich volcanic soils in the heart of Coombsville. You’ll find the Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in their own vineyards just by their homestead, and, finally, the small percentage of Malbec comes from St. Helena. In the winery, the grapes fermented in open tanks and saw once- to thrice-daily punch-downs. In total, the juice was in contact with its skins for up to 24 days! The wine was blended before aging in French barriques (50% new) for 20 months.
