Elegant Napa Cabernet From Matthiason Winery
Born in 2003 out of their mutual respect and love of nature, Matthiason Winery is a family business run by Steve and Jill with their sons Kai and Harry. Steve is the winemaker and viticulturist, Jill takes care of the business side of the operations. Organic practices as well as sustainability are way of life at this winery, not an obligation. They are farmers and environmentalists to the core. “Winemaking, for us, is a natural extension of farming.” From Matthiason Winery
Located in Napa Valley, this winery makes exceptional whites as well as reds, which are all classical representations of the varietals in every way. Matthiasson has been named Winemaker of the Year by both the San Francisco Chronicle and Food and Wine Magazine, and the winery is a six-time nominee for the prestigious James Beard Award. I love the detail on their label, the one pruning shear indicates a very limited production of wines. Their wines are complex yet refreshing, moderate alcohol and lovely with food…… Hang on, a lower/moderate alcohol wines from Napa? Yes! Lets’s take a step back and think about what is involved in making complex wines, lower in alcohol AND an abundance of fresh fruit in an area such as Napa ?!? I don’t think there’s time to detail how much skill, craftsmanship and dedication it takes to accomplish this. If you were to taste their wines, you would swear they were made from a cooler climate. That’s how incredibly well made their wines are. These winemakers are in a league of their own.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from grapes in six different Napa Valley vineyards that cover three distinct AVAs — Coombsville, Rutherford and Oak Knoll. This one in particular is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. The fruit was fermented at low temperatures and pumped over twice per day. Their goal is for delicate aromas and fresh flavors. Since the fermentation temperatures were cool, the fermentation was long and slow, lasting for three weeks. The wine was aged for 20 months in a combination of mostly old barrels with a sprinkling of new.
This unique Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep ruby color. Aromas are loaded with red fruits and bramble-berries, i.e. red cherry, black raspberry blackberry, bramble, bell pepper, cedar, all wrapped in minerality and pencil shavings. The fresh acidity is balanced with the soft, fine tannins. The flavors of bright red cherry, black raspberry cranberry blackberry, bramble, bell pepper, cedar, mint, chocolate, savory, graphite all end in a herbaceous long finish.
Heaven on a plate was the pairing of braised beef short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus
