Brilliant 2021 Napa Cabernet from Steve Matthiasson!
Over the years, Steve Matthiasson has grown grapes or made wine for the likes of Dalle Valle, Araujo, Chappellet and Spottswoode, to name just a few. Today we bring you a Cabernet from Steve's own winery whose throwback style, character, structure (and price) left us with our jaws agape.
Read on for the details on this stunning 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet, and on Steve's pleasure-packed, deliciously expressive 2023 Napa Valley Vermentino, then click quick on the Big Green Button to add these gems to your collection!
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2021 Matthiasson Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California
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Steve nailed it with this one! It has been a long time since we've found a Napa Cab under $100 that has us thinking back to the beauty, purity and structure of Napa Valley from its glory days.
Incredibly, this deep, elegant, layered and structured Napa Cab is only 12.5% ABV. Talk about old school!
“2021 was an incredible year in Napa and our Cabernet Sauvignon perfectly captures the concentration, depth and structure of the vintage. It is one of the most age-worthy wines we have ever made.”
- Steve Matthiasson
Sourced from premium sites in Mount Veeder, Coombsville, Rutherford, Oak Knoll and Calistoga, this classic, youthful, seriously-structured blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc is long, super complex and utterly delicious.
Pouring a beautiful purple ruby, it coats the glass walls with medium opacity. The nose, reserved at first, soon sings with spicy cassis, blackberry, pepper, brambly red earth, green herbs and bell pepper. With exotic aromas of Napa Valley wafting gorgeously from the glass, this seriously ageworthy red earns a VERY strong, VERY enthusiastic 94 points on our scale.
Awarding 95 points, Decanter Magazine goes into great detail on the flavor profile, and suggestions on how best to enjoy this wondrous wine...
“Grapes for Steve Matthiasson's Napa Cabernet come from Phoenix Vineyard, an east-facing steep hillside at the base of Mt. Veeder, on a bluff of royally unique ancient marine shale soils overlooking the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Additional fruit is sourced from long-term lease contracts farmed by Matthiasson in Coombsville, Oak Knoll, and Rutherford (two sites), one on Mount Veeder and one in Calistoga (in the Franz Valley). There are no additions beyond sulfites. Compact and energetic with super-savoury notes of black olives, sagebrush and dried tobacco, crunchy red currant fruit, and expressive graphite. A firm spine of mouthwatering acidity imbues the wine with serious staying power. In their youth, these wines will not give you much at the pull of the cork but wait six hours or a day or two days even, and oxygen works at them to reveal the effects of ageing as the wine becomes suddenly more open-knit and generous. So, give them 20-30 years, and the fireworks will go off. If you're a collector, stash these away and don't touch them for two decades. For everyone else, decanting is a must, and patience will be rewarded. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2050.”
- 95 Points, Decanter (5/13/2024)
One of the things that makes Steve's 2021 Cabernet so special is that it is NOT one of those oh-so-popular, there's-a-bottle-on-every-table-in-the-steakhouse wines. Instead, it is a serious, incredibly suave, old-school, ageworthy Napa Valley Cabernet that harkens back to the best of years gone by.
As Decanter Magazine makes clear, you'll need to put some effort into this wine, either in the form of decanting or extensive aging. There are not many Napa wines under $100 of which you can make that statement.
At the median online retail of $90, the 2021 Matthiasson occupies a special place in the market - a few bucks more than Caymus and 2/3rds less than the blue chip bottlings. At our price, it will have no problem earning a bin in many cellars. Given the long life ahead for this wine, consider getting a bottle to drink now and a few more to enjoy 5, 10 and even 20 years down the line!
Vin Chicago Price: 74.99
Plus Steve's Totally Unique Napa Valley Vermentino!
2023 Matthiasson "Cressida Vineyard" Vermentino
Los Carneros, Napa Valley, California
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Besides making delicious red wines, Matthiasson has had great success working with Italian white grapes, including this single-vineyard bottling from the Vermentino grape!
Sourced from Cressida Vineyard in the cool Los Carneros appellation of southern Napa, this dry white is absolutely lovely and, amazingly, delivered more fruits and flavors the longer it was opened - only fully revealing itself on day five after opening.
Shy initially, with muted citrus and stone fruits, salinity and hints of flowers, this Vermentino is texturally impactful with a dense creaminess. After some time, more flavors emerge from this coppery-hued white, including leesy walnuts, apple butter, tangerine, baked lemon, yellow apple, mango and river stone minerals. Super textured and velvety, without oak influence, this wine is high in acidity and slightly grippy, with a honeyed, pulsating finish. Different and delightful, it’s a solid 92+ on our scale. Here’s the 94 point review from Decanter:
“A bit of a unicorn, a Napa Valley Vermentino from Steve and Jill Matthiasson. They purchased the Cressida Vineyard in 2022, along the spine of a ridgetop in the upper section of Los Carneros. Cressida is a cooler site overlooking the Bay and the San Francisco skyline. It is evocative of a day spent along the Adriatic, with its deep breaths of ocean air and rich lemon aromatics combined with a hint of beeswax. The texture jumps out at you on the palate, full and rich but not the least bit flabby. Lemon oil, verbena and salty notes of seaspray and crushed shells. Delightful, this absolutely begs for shellfish. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034.”
- 94 Points, Decanter (8/27/2024)
Give this a few years in your cellar and then drink over the following five to ten. If opening now, decant for as long as possible, it’s worth it! As usual, our price is a few bucks below the median. Supply is small, don't miss out!
Vin Chicago Price: 32.99
