Winemaker of the Year: San Francisco Chronicle and Food & Wine Magazine

Steve and Jill Matthiasson, since the 2003 founding of their winery, have not only practiced viticulture and enology in a style that made them one of the earliest proponents of ‘new California winemaking,’ but demonstrated their understanding that the human component of winemaking extends far beyond the winemaker.

The Phoenix vineyard sits on some of the most unusual soils in Napa Valley. While most of Napa's soils are of volcanic origin, the East-facing steep hillside Phoenix Vineyard sits on a ridge of ancient marine shale soils. The rock content and sea minerals of these soils create unique wines with high-toned red fruits, perfumed and exotic, with a lightness in the mid-palate yet a long, firm, and structured finish. Wine singular enough, yet complete enough, to be worthy of a single vineyard designation.

After multiple small hand harvests to “cherry pick” the ripest portions of the vineyard, the fruit was fermented at low temperatures in small, open-top tanks and punched down by hand one to three times per day, depending on how the wine tasted during the fermentation. This wine was aged in 30% new French oak, and 70% older French oak barrels. The wine was given 20 months of elevage (aging in barrel). The 2018 should reward long aging, or enjoyment young with a meal after a little decanting. The pH is 3.53, TA is 6.9, and alcohol is 13.0%. 300 cases produced.