Matthews Winery

Royal Slope AVA | 8.20.2021
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In The Cellar | Hand-Sorting

We love looking over the freshly harvested vineyard parcels. Hand-sorting is one of our last chances to review the individual vineyard lots before they start their lengthly fermentation journey.

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Quintessence Vineyard | Red Mountain AVA
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Harvest | Final taste before fermentation

As our separate vineyards arrive inside the winery, we are careful to inspect them one last time before they begin their 30+ day fermentation cycle.
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Columbia Valley AVA | Harvest

All of our vineyards are treated with minimalist intervention practices to let the beauty of the soil and weather shine in the final product.
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In the cellar | New 2021 barrels

Starting in 2021 our new winemaking team elevated our cellaring protocols, including a new set of barrel cooperages to showcase our intensified vineyard practices.
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Conner Lee Vineyard | Columbia Valley AVA

Conner Lee Vinyard is home to some of our favorite varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
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We are excited to announce the release of our first set of AVA specific wines from 2021: The Royal Slope Claret, Cuvée and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Each wine has received it's highest acclaim to date. For more information about getting first access to these wines: https://matthewswinery.com/membership

We are thrilled to release the 2021 Matthews Reserve Cuvée, our first signature-blend crafted by our new winemaking team!

Beginning in 2021, our family looked to elevate each aspect of the Matthews wine portfolio. Joining us was an elite winemaking team whose mission had been to craft region-defining Cabernet Sauvignon across the Horse Heaven Hills & Red Mountain AVAs. We heard from each of them how excited they were to both continue making the Cabernet Sauvignon they have come to love, & also to be empowered to craft the Claret & Cuvée - our two signature blends.

The Reserve Cuvée is a Merlot-dominant wine that comes from some of the oldest & most storied vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley. Our family has a deep reverence for the great Merlot wines made throughout the world. This wine showcases everything we love about our region & its ability to develop deep texture & power along with such seamless polish.

We've never had more fun than crafting our new 2021 Reserve wines! Thanks Men's Journal for sharing our story. 🙏

Experience the Purity of Washington State’s Columbia Valley With These New Reserve Releases Matthews drops a series of Reserve bottlings, the first from their new winemaking team.

2021 was quite an adventure! It’s a joy to begin sharing our new wines with everyone. Thanks Robb Report!

Matthews Poached Staff From One of Washington Best Wineries. Its First Vintage Shows Why. The first releases from Matthews’ new winemakers are stellar.

We are honored to announce Jeremy Young at The International Wine Report has awarded his highest reviews ever for Matthews.

We are honored to announce Jeremy Young at The International Wine Report has awarded each of our wines his highest ever reviews.

• 2022 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc•

Our fruit was hand-sorted & whole cluster pressed. This tends to produce a wine that is fresher & lighter, with a more delicate aroma compared to pressing destemmed grapes.

The process also minimizes the extraction of other compounds from the skins & stems, resulting in a wine with a smoother texture.

Our 2022 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc underwent fermentation in French & Austrian oak barrels, ranging from 3 weeks to 4 in various formats.

This careful aging, followed by a spring rest, allows fruit flavors, acidity, & any oak influence to become more integrated, creating a balanced & rounded profile.

• 2022 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc•

Here at Matthews the magic begins with our meticulous harvest. Hand-picked in the early mornings of October, our Sauvignon Blanc grapes are selected at peak ripeness.

The cool autumn nights of Washington State contribute to preserving the grape's fresh acidity & juicy finish.

• 2022 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc•

Selected from key sights at Horse Heaven Hills, Royal Slope & Yakima Valley AVAs our vineyard managers work to restrict yields & create small concentrated berries packed with flavor development. These dynamic sights bring a blend of ripeness, tropical honey, lemon curd & lingering mineral finish.

We are proud to present our 2022 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, a blend of grapes sourced from prestigious vineyards across Horse Heaven Hills, Royal Slope, & Yakima Valley AVAs. Our dedication to limited yields results in small, intensely flavored berries, showcasing the unique characteristics of Washington State's diverse terroirs.

100% Sauvignon Blanc.

• 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon •

“Powerful aromatics of dark berry compote, black forest cake, leather, & mint flower lead to incredibly pure flavors of black cap raspberry, graphite, dark chocolate, & sage. Classy & harmonious on the palate, the finish of dark plum, vanilla, & five spice is delightfully long.”

-Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, & Jesse Schmidt
Winemakers

• 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon•

“Powerful aromatics of dark berry compote, black forest cake, leather, & mint flower lead to incredibly pure flavors of black cap raspberry, graphite, dark chocolate, & sage. Classy & harmonious on the palate, the finish of dark plum, vanilla, & five spice is delightfully long.”

-Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, & Jesse Schmidt, Winemakers

• 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon•

The wine was cellared for 21 months. The wine was bottled unfined & unfiltered to ensure the wine in bottle is pure, vibrant, and intense.

• 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon•

At the winery, the fruit was cluster sorted, destemmed & berry sorted. The wine spent 30+ days on skins for extended maceration before being barreled down into varying formats of 100% new French oak.

Nestled amongst many AVAs, Red Mountain boasts a mix of sand, silt, & gravel, which provides excellent drainage, a key factor in concentrating flavors in wine grapes. These unique features make it a prized source for highly concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon that can be found in our 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

• 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon •

“The 2021 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a culmination of the hard work at the hands of so many people. It was a dynamic vintage; a year of change, adaptation, excitement, determination. Cabernet is what defines us. It was our first love. It is where we come from. It is the wine we hold to the highest standard. Such a fitting wine for our first Reserve Red release, and we could not be more proud of what this wine represents.”

-Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, & Jesse Schmidt, Winemakers

Celebrate a new era of Reserve with our 2021 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, releasing on our webstore & in our tasting room on 11.3.

• 2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc•

Fermentation of the Matthews 2022 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc was slow and cool, allowing the wine to hold onto its intense aromatic profile. Secondary fermentation was arrested to preserve freshness & acidity and the wine was blended shortly before bottling.

Representing the broad flavor palette of Washington State’s diverse terroirs, the 2021 Matthews Columbia Valley Cuvée balances fresh red berry & cocoa powder aromas with flavors of Morello cherries and licorice, creating a lasting impression on the palate.

Characterized by its inky deep garnet color, the 2021 Matthews Columbia Valley Claret offers powerful aromas of juicy black raspberry & fresh fig. A prolonged maceration post-fermentation imbues the wine with velvety tannins, & a full-bodied mouthfeel.

Have you experienced our 2021 Matthews Columbia Valley Claret yet?

• 2021 Matthews Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon •
�Despite the challenging weather conditions in 2021, detailed farming practices like maintaining a greater canopy cover & continuous drip irrigation produced a balanced Cabernet Sauvignon with a long quenching finish.

HAL IVERSON
Winemaker

Hal has a background in education & sustainable agriculture, who now channels his expertise into winemaking. As Hal explains it, enology unites his love for science, art, agriculture, & all things delicious.