99-Point Napa Cabernet from Steve Matthiasson!
In December, Decanter Magazine published a report showcasing their picks for the "Top 10" US Wines of the Year. Included on that list were four stunning Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley.
Of those four Napa Cabernets, three sell for prices ranging from $225 to $600-plus. The fourth Napa bottling on Decanter’s "Top 10" list, the wine we are offering today, earned 99 Points and sells for just $139.99.
“It is the epitome of elegance and a classy wine in a class of its own.”
- Decanter Magazine, May 2024
The 2021 Matthiasson "Phoenix Vineyard" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterpiece from organic-farmer-turned-vigneron Steve Matthiasson. Steve took over the steep, 40-year-old Phoenix Vineyard in 2017 and has had great success nursing it back to health. With his 2021 Phoenix Vineyard Cabernet, he has bottled a masterpiece.
Normally available only to Steve's wine club members, we managed to get our hands on four cases of this 349 case production wine. They are expected to arrive in Chicago later this month. Read on for Decanter Magazine's wonderfully detailed notes on this remarkable Cabernet, then quickly click on the Big Green Button to secure a few bottles for your collection!
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2021 Matthiasson "Phoenix Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
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“This is a single-vineyard expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Phoenix Vineyard surrounding the Matthiasson winery, situated on an east-facing steep hillside at the base of Mt. Veeder, on a promontory of rare ancient marine shale soils overlooking the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Texturally and aromatically, it is so different from the Dead Fred Cabernet. This is super light and floral-driven and more like a Nebbiolo. It's aged in foudre to preserve the fresh fruit quality. Multiple picks ensure ripeness and some are whole cluster pressed. It's so pretty and pure it's almost like mineral water that's been flavoured. The wine has a natural grip and is laser-focused and linear. It is the epitome of elegance and a classy wine in a class of its own. During my tasting with Steve, he added some colour to the Phoenix Vineyard, explaining that it was planted in 1982, with more vines added in the late 1980s. The Cabernet Sauvignon is an old field selection massale from Mt. Veeder, with the oldest vines on AXR rootstock (sadly susceptible to Phylloxera) and next to those grapes, the same selection is grafted to 5BB, a slightly more drought-tolerant rootstock, which handles the hillside. Matthiasson bought the site in 2017, and the farms it organically and without irrigation. A delicious wine that will last for half a century.”
- 99 Points, Decanter (5/13/2024)
Vin Chicago Price: 139.99
