Matthiasson White Wine, Napa Valley, California 2022
Pickup available at DECANT Napa - 2999 Solano, Napa, CA
Usually ready in 1 hour
Matthiasson is the family winery of Steve and Jill Matthiasson, founded in 2003 with just 120 cases and now producing 12,000 cases annually across 25 unique cuvées. Steve, one of Napa's most influential vineyard consultants and regenerative organic farming pioneers, co-authored California's first manual on sustainable vineyard practices (the Lodi Rules) in 1999. Before establishing their winery, both Steve and Jill worked extensively in sustainable agriculture and the local food movement. Steve studied horticulture at UC Davis and began consulting on vineyard practices in 1995, working with prestigious clients including Araujo Estate (Eisele Vineyard), Dalla Valle, Spottswoode, Chappellet, and Stags Leap Wine Cellars. Jill oversees the business side while Steve manages farming and winemaking. In 2017, they purchased a small winemaking facility and neighboring vineyard in Oak Knoll AVA. Their signature White Wine, which launched in 2005, represents their "mythical ideal wine"—a California expression with spiritual connections to Friuli, Italy, while drawing inspiration from great whites of Loire, Burgundy, Graves, Alsace, Rhône, and old-school Napa. Named simply "White Wine," it embodies their attempt to capture the archetypal essence of white wine itself.
- WINEMAKER: Steve Matthiasson (winemaker/viticulturist), Jill Matthiasson (co-proprietor)
- FARMING: Certified Organic (California Certified Organic Farmers). All Matthiasson vineyards are farmed using regenerative organic practices emphasizing no-till farming, native California grass cover crops, deep-rooted drought-tolerant rootstocks, minimal irrigation, and integrated pest management. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
- VARIETY: 48% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Ribolla Gialla, 24% Sémillon, 2% Tocai Friulano
- TERROIR: Two distinct vineyards in the cool, foggy southern Napa Valley. Ryan's Vineyard (Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon) sits on a streak of alluvial gravel in the center of the valley floor in southern Napa, directly in the path of daily wind currents that pull from San Francisco Bay toward Calistoga. Native grasses planted beneath vines compete for moisture and nutrients, encouraging roots to forage deep into gravelly soil. Bengier Vineyard, formerly Vare (Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano), occupies the mouth of Napa's Dry Creek canyon adjacent to the creek. Rocky fluvial soil and cool air drainage from the canyon provide ideal conditions for these Italian varieties. Ribolla Gialla budwood traced back to legendary Friulian producer Josko Gravner's vineyard, grafted in Napa since 2001.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested early in the season to preserve natural acidity and achieve moderate alcohol levels (typically around 12-13%). Fruit very lightly whole-cluster pressed. All four varieties fermented separately with native yeasts, then blended immediately upon dryness. Malolactic fermentation blocked to preserve bright acidity. No fruit sorting prior to fermentation—reliance on meticulous farming and selective harvesting over multiple passes.
- AGING: Racked and returned onto fine lees for extended aging until bottling. Aged in French oak barrels (15% new Boutes cooperage) for ten months. No bâtonnage (lees stirring). Filtered before bottling to prevent malolactic fermentation in bottle. Minimal sulfur additions—only small amounts added at bottling.
- TASTING NOTES: Deep yellow-gold hue. Complex, expressive bouquet of white peach, kaffir lime, lychee nut, beeswax, ripe fig, pineapple, apricot, and stewed pear, interlaced with spice, florals, and honeysuckle. Prominent minerality emerges: wet stones, flint, oyster shells, crushed seashell, and freshly cut straw. Light to medium-bodied with surprising subtlety in aromatics yet mineral-driven and slightly smoky in flavor profile. The Sauvignon Blanc contributes clean, fresh citrusy acidity and tropical character; Ribolla Gialla delivers seashell minerality, nuttiness, and structural backbone; Sémillon adds viscosity, waxiness, gravity, and weight; Tocai Friulano imparts spicy aromatic notes. Tangy acidity and exceptional balance create a mouthwatering quality with interplay between lightness and richness, focus and complexity. The wine shows its trademark spice and mineral character with impressive freshness and energy. Long, clean finish with warming spice.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Grilled squid with green olives, grilled or roasted fish with capers, seared scallops, roasted halibut, boudin blanc, shellfish, rich seafood preparations, aged cheeses
- SCORES: James Suckling 94/100 (2022 vintage)
Matthiasson White Wine, Napa Valley, California 2022
Matthiasson is the family winery of Steve and Jill Matthiasson, founded in 2003 with just 120 cases and now producing 12,000 cases annually across 25 unique cuvées. Steve, one of Napa's most influential vineyard consultants and regenerative organic farming pioneers, co-authored California's first manual on sustainable vineyard practices (the Lodi Rules) in 1999. Before establishing their winery, both Steve and Jill worked extensively in sustainable agriculture and the local food movement. Steve studied horticulture at UC Davis and began consulting on vineyard practices in 1995, working with prestigious clients including Araujo Estate (Eisele Vineyard), Dalla Valle, Spottswoode, Chappellet, and Stags Leap Wine Cellars. Jill oversees the business side while Steve manages farming and winemaking. In 2017, they purchased a small winemaking facility and neighboring vineyard in Oak Knoll AVA. Their signature White Wine, which launched in 2005, represents their "mythical ideal wine"—a California expression with spiritual connections to Friuli, Italy, while drawing inspiration from great whites of Loire, Burgundy, Graves, Alsace, Rhône, and old-school Napa. Named simply "White Wine," it embodies their attempt to capture the archetypal essence of white wine itself.
- WINEMAKER: Steve Matthiasson (winemaker/viticulturist), Jill Matthiasson (co-proprietor)
- FARMING: Certified Organic (California Certified Organic Farmers). All Matthiasson vineyards are farmed using regenerative organic practices emphasizing no-till farming, native California grass cover crops, deep-rooted drought-tolerant rootstocks, minimal irrigation, and integrated pest management. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
- VARIETY: 48% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Ribolla Gialla, 24% Sémillon, 2% Tocai Friulano
- TERROIR: Two distinct vineyards in the cool, foggy southern Napa Valley. Ryan's Vineyard (Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon) sits on a streak of alluvial gravel in the center of the valley floor in southern Napa, directly in the path of daily wind currents that pull from San Francisco Bay toward Calistoga. Native grasses planted beneath vines compete for moisture and nutrients, encouraging roots to forage deep into gravelly soil. Bengier Vineyard, formerly Vare (Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano), occupies the mouth of Napa's Dry Creek canyon adjacent to the creek. Rocky fluvial soil and cool air drainage from the canyon provide ideal conditions for these Italian varieties. Ribolla Gialla budwood traced back to legendary Friulian producer Josko Gravner's vineyard, grafted in Napa since 2001.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested early in the season to preserve natural acidity and achieve moderate alcohol levels (typically around 12-13%). Fruit very lightly whole-cluster pressed. All four varieties fermented separately with native yeasts, then blended immediately upon dryness. Malolactic fermentation blocked to preserve bright acidity. No fruit sorting prior to fermentation—reliance on meticulous farming and selective harvesting over multiple passes.
- AGING: Racked and returned onto fine lees for extended aging until bottling. Aged in French oak barrels (15% new Boutes cooperage) for ten months. No bâtonnage (lees stirring). Filtered before bottling to prevent malolactic fermentation in bottle. Minimal sulfur additions—only small amounts added at bottling.
- TASTING NOTES: Deep yellow-gold hue. Complex, expressive bouquet of white peach, kaffir lime, lychee nut, beeswax, ripe fig, pineapple, apricot, and stewed pear, interlaced with spice, florals, and honeysuckle. Prominent minerality emerges: wet stones, flint, oyster shells, crushed seashell, and freshly cut straw. Light to medium-bodied with surprising subtlety in aromatics yet mineral-driven and slightly smoky in flavor profile. The Sauvignon Blanc contributes clean, fresh citrusy acidity and tropical character; Ribolla Gialla delivers seashell minerality, nuttiness, and structural backbone; Sémillon adds viscosity, waxiness, gravity, and weight; Tocai Friulano imparts spicy aromatic notes. Tangy acidity and exceptional balance create a mouthwatering quality with interplay between lightness and richness, focus and complexity. The wine shows its trademark spice and mineral character with impressive freshness and energy. Long, clean finish with warming spice.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Grilled squid with green olives, grilled or roasted fish with capers, seared scallops, roasted halibut, boudin blanc, shellfish, rich seafood preparations, aged cheeses
- SCORES: James Suckling 94/100 (2022 vintage)