2021 Matthews Royal Slope Cuvée
...this is a beautiful showing that is already drinking nicely...— 95 points, Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
Few styles in the world of red wine are as enduringly beloved as Right Bank, Merlot-driven blends. Rooted in the deep clay and limestone of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, these wines have long been admired for their supple mid-palates, lifted aromatics, fine-grained tannins, and graceful, seamless finishes. Merlot rose to global prominence because of what it achieves in these soils: fully ripened fruit, rich texture, and an innate sense of harmony. In time, its strengths found new homes in California and Bolgheri, where warm climates and enthusiastic audiences embraced its generous personality and perfumed charm.
The Columbia Valley provides a compelling landscape for this tradition. Long summer daylight, consistent winds, cool nighttime temperatures, and well-drained slopes allow Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen with precision year after year. The region offers purity, freshness, and a natural structural balance that rewards thoughtful blending. Matthews Cuvée is our interpretation of the Right Bank lens, crafted through the clarity and energy of the Columbia Valley. It is a wine anchored in tradition, but unmistakably shaped by our own terrain.
The 2021 Matthews Royal Slope Cuvée is a meticulously crafted Merlot-dominant blend sourced from several vineyard parcels within the Royal Slope AVA of the Columbia Valley. Key sites include Solaksen, Scarline, and Stoneridge Vineyards. This combination allows the wine to express the varied textures, tones, and aromatics that define the region.
Vintage Weather Overview
The 2021 vintage was marked by below-average winter precipitation, an early bud break in late March, and moderately early bloom under hot, windy conditions in late May and early June. These conditions contributed to small berries, small clusters, and naturally low yields. Veraison began early but completed on a typical timeline.
The most defining event of the vintage was the late-June heat dome, which broke temperature records across the Pacific Northwest. While extreme heat advanced sugar accumulation, flavor maturity and phenolic ripeness lagged behind. Acidity trended lower than average. Producers who waited were rewarded: cool fall temperatures allowed flavor development to catch up as sugar levels plateaued. By harvest in September and October, conditions were cool, steady, and frost-free, resulting in red wines with strong varietal definition, concentration, and excellent structure.
Harvest and Farming Practices
The 2021 Matthews Royal Slope Cuvée was crafted from small, meticulously farmed vineyard parcels within the Royal Slope, including Solaksen, Scarline, and Stoneridge Vineyards.
During bloom, the vines experienced significant shatter due to challenging weather. Combined with the heat dome event, this resulted in very low yields. Vineyard teams adapted by maintaining ample canopy cover to shield fruit from extreme heat and by applying steady drip irrigation to support vine health. These protective strategies allowed the vines to remain resilient and ultimately produced a surprisingly healthy crop of concentrated, pristine berries.
To ensure full flavor development, the winemaking team extended hang time well into October before harvesting. All fruit was picked by hand in the cool early-morning hours and arrived at the winery in exceptional condition.
Vinification
Each vineyard lot was kept separate for maximum blending precision. Fruit was cluster-sorted, destemmed, and berry-sorted before a 48-hour cold soak. Fermentation began with a non-saccharomyces yeast to build aromatic complexity, followed by inoculation with a designer yeast to guide structural development.
Cap management was tailored daily using pump-overs, punch-downs, or pulsed-air extraction, selected based on the desired outcome for each lot. Fermentation typically lasted about two weeks. After completing primary fermentation, the wine remained on skins for a full 30-day extended maceration to deepen texture and integrate tannins.
The wines were then transferred into 100% new French oak sourced from a small set of trusted cooperages. In barrel, malolactic fermentation completed naturally, softening acidity and enhancing mouthfeel. After 21 months of élevage, the final blend was assembled and bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve purity, concentration, and intensity.
Seven clones contribute to the final blend: Merlot clone 15, Cabernet Sauvignon clones 2, 4, and 191, Cabernet Franc clones 214 and 327, and Malbec clone 4.
Only 354 cases were produced from 13 barrels, making the 2021 Matthews Royal Slope Cuvée a rare and expressive interpretation of Merlot-focused blending in the Columbia Valley—deeply rooted in Right Bank tradition yet unmistakably shaped by its own landscape.
Winemaker Tasting Note
“The 2021 Royal Slope Cuvée is a deep crimson in the glass with pretty aromatics of guava, red currant, dried flowers, and wet stone. The full-bodied palate showcases flavors of huckleberry pie, dark coffee, and earthy minerals. The sappy mouthfeel is accented by pillowy tannins and a delicious finish of raspberry liqueur and cacao nib.” -Alex Stewart, Head Winemaker
PRAISE FOR THE 2021 MATTHEWS ROYAL SLOPE CUVÉE
“The amazing 2021 Matthews ‘Royal Slope Claret’ Red Wine is already drinking beautifully despite its youth. It comes off layered aromatically with baking spices, cocoa powder and shades of boysenberry puree on the nose. The palate is refined and smooth, showing good flavor density and solid underlying finesse. Flavors mocha, tar and black currants all meld together, finishing long with minerals, dark fruits and chocolate.”
95 points, Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com