The Newest Member of the Matthews Portfolio

Join us in welcoming our newest Matthews Reserve wine...the Reserve Cuvée.

Over the last 10 years, we have been carefully evaluating our Merlot vineyards for the right time to craft another signature wine, a Merlot-dominated blend, appropriately titled Cuvée. With nearly perfect winemaking conditions, we knew 2018 was the ideal vintage with which to introduce this inaugural wine. So it is with great excitement that we will release our 2018 Reserve Cuvée on February 20th, 2021.

Our consistent and careful selection of great vineyard sites that grow the traditional Bordeaux varietals—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot, our secret obsession—which go into creating our Left Bank-inspired Claret, prompted us to create a Right Bank Cuvée. We believe our members and fans will find this wine completely complements our Reserve Claret in texture, weight, complexity, and overall enjoyment as we have separated our very finest vineyards and barrels to craft the inaugural release of the Reserve Cuvée.

There are only a few regions in the world where both winemakers and critics unanimously agree that the terroir (the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced) is perfectly matched to a certain varietal. For Washington State, Merlot is one of those rare examples.

Merlot-dominant blends shine within Washington State. The vineyards here can produce phenomenal Merlot, on a level with the highest quality anywhere in the world. Each year, as we barrel sample our Merlot for blending into the Claret, we constantly pause at the depth of flavor that comes out of these vineyards. And we are not alone.

Louis Skinner of Betz Family Winery, one of the state’s finest winemakers, commented in a recent interview with Anthony Muller of the Wine Advocate (here, 42:38), “... Merlot in Washington State can often match the flavor intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon… [during harvest] we will joke that, hey, that [Merlot] is some of the best Cabernet [Sauvignon] we harvested this year.”

And it’s not just winemakers who are lauding Washington-harvested Merlot, critics are also taking notice. Sean Sullivan made his 2020 goal on Facebook “the year of Merlot”, dedicating an entire year to discovering Washington Merlot.

The release of the Matthews Reserve Cuvée completes the Left Bank and Right Bank blends of our portfolio, and the timing of 2021 is a perfect year for a new beginning. For 20 years, our Matthews Claret has been our signature wine; a joy to make each year, we appreciate that it has found favor with both wine critics and a place on your dinner table, a tribute to our rigorous vineyard management and meticulous barrel selection. We believe our Reserve Cuvée, following the same principals we apply to creating our Reserve Claret, will delight those of you who love our Reserve Claret and intrigue those of you who “only drink Cabernet Sauvignon” to experience the texture and finesse of this wine with pure enjoyment.