Matthiason Wines

At Matthiason Wines it is all about the grape. Steve and Jill Matthiasson have 8 vineyards they source from spread throughout Sonoma and Napa County, and each one is treated with methods customized according to vineyard terrain and fruit. For instance, the vineyard behind the owner’s house is Linda Vista, a prime Chardonnay producer. The techniques they use to bring out the natural acidity and freshness of the wine from those grapes are created to take into account of the age of the vines, the sunny afternoons and the winds off of the San Pablo Bay.

Their Michael Mara vineyard also produces Chardonnay, but with a different set of farming tools that take advantage of the rocky ground, low water retention, and lack of shade on the 4 acre site. Tailoring the techniques and picking sites that naturally produce relatively small batches of small fruit makes wine that is complex, fresh and aromatic. Steve and Jill also like to use some rare grapes. Their namesake vineyard in the West Oak Knoll area of Napa grows Refosco, Ribolla gialla, and Schioppettino.

The Matthiason Winery’s Michael Mara 2013 Chardonnay was featured as one of the best domestic wines of the year in 2015, and all their wines come highly recommended. The addition of their unusual wines makes this winery a taste adventure for any lover of fine drinks. You can’t visit them; the Matthiason’s are not big on tasting rooms, but they have a fine wine club that you can join to receive 2 shipments a year of their wines.

Matthiason winery is featured prominently in the book New California Wine/. This is a great read if you want to learn more about the Matthiason style of wine making. They take a more traditional “old world” approach to the process. This helps them create more complex wines.

Address: P.O. Box 10880, Napa, CA 94581
Phone: Phone: 707.265.9349