*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from Matthiasson Family Vineyards
First off, I must tell you, that as I drank this wine, all I could think was that this was easily one of the best white wines I’ve had in recent memory. It kicked all sorts of ass and I loved it. The wine is the 2007 Matthiasson Napa Valley White Wine. It’s a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, and Semillon. The wine has a real cork closure, clocks in at 13.3% alcohol by volume, and retails for $35. Matthiasson is a small family winery California, with a very small production of just over 500 cases of wine. The Napa Valley White had a production of 220 cases. I intend to visit with the Matthiassons on my next CA trip, so I will have a full report on their operations then. For now, a review of their most excellent white wine.
I will admit that I didn’t look at the blend for the wine before I started smelling it. Right away I said to Matt, this smells like lightly oaked Sauvignon Blanc. So then I had to run and look it up, and I was right, it is oaked and Sauvignon Blanc is one of the grapes in the blend! On the nose I found lemon, cream, vanilla, apple, pineapple, ginger, and figs. A delicious nose, it left me eager to taste the wine in my glass. In the mouth I got flavors of pineapple, lemon, racy citrus, pear, meyer lemon, fig, spice, and melon.
At this points, my notes turned into “this is really good.” And “just delicious” as well as “YUMMY.” In the mouth, I didn’t get even a hint of the oak I smelled on the nose. The wine had a great mouthfeel, probably nicely rounded by the addition of the Semillon. I found the wine to be crisp and intriguing in the mouth. I highly recommend this wine.
Filed under: California, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, White, Wine |
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
I told Steve Matthiasson that this wine might have made my top 10 most interesting wines of 2009, and it’s only January!
Go Steelers!
My review of this wine is not posted yet. Scheduled for next Monday. But I loved it as well. I scored it 91 points. The Merlot was even better. Look for all 3 of my reviews and comments next week.
Happy to see we feel the same way about this wine. I bought six of the 2006 last year and have been harboring the last one in my cellar for a very special occasion. (SHoulds drunk it 1.20.09 in retrspect?….)
Serious, serious juice. Both rich and bright, with a flavor profile that I have never had before in a single-grape wine. Is it the Ribolla Gialla? Maybe. But no doubt it is an incredible wine, with few peers if any.
Now I know I can get some 2007 with confidence as well!
I agree Joe and Ken. A really excellent wine…though Ken, I think I favor the White over the Merlot!
Hi Tish-Thanks for stopping by. I would definitely suggest the 2007…an excellent wine if I’ve ever had one!
[…] 500 cases of wine a year and at this time, make 3 different wines, a white blend that I loved and wrote about last week, a red blend that I have to taste soon, and this, their 2005 Red Hen Vineyard Napa Valley Merlot. […]