Matthews Winery | New Team

Matthews is thrilled to announce the release of our 2021 Columbia Valley Claret, Cuvée, and Cabernet Sauvignon. These are the first red wines crafted by our new winemaking team. For our loyal fans and for our newest members, we feel these new wines are the finest versions of these wines we’ve ever made. These wines are now available online, and in our Woodinville tasting room for you, your friends, and family.

But how did we get here?

Matthews is thrilled to announce the release of our highest-rated Claret, Cuvée, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc (all from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate). We are honored to receive these reviews and even happier to share these wines with you.

But how did we get here?

Our story is over twenty years in the making, and it began with a simple, yet powerful, question: Are we fulfilling our potential?

Matthews was founded in 1992 and was in good company with other promising wineries in Washington State. Although promising, a number of setbacks interfered with fulfilling the winery’s potential. In 2004, our family stepped in to chart a new path forward. We made notable strides in expanding vineyard sites and fine-tuning our fermentation process, yet our family had a strong conviction there was more to be done. We evaluated every aspect of our process and asked ourselves, “Are we fulfilling our potential in the pursuit of authentic Washington wine?”

The answer led to big changes at Matthews…

In 2021, we were joined by a new winemaking team - Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, and Jesse Schmidt. With more than 30 years of winemaking experience, Alex, Hal and Jesse have been instrumental in crafting Washington State’s highest-rated Sauvignon Blanc and more 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon wines than all other Washington wineries combined. The level of expertise they brought to Matthews resulted in a complete overhaul of existing winemaking techniques and processes.

The overhaul began in the vineyards, with 50% new vineyard sources for reds, and 70% new vineyard sources for whites (namely Sauvignon Blanc). We also added six new grape clones across all varietals for increased complexity and dimension. We reduced red grape yields by 20-30%, and Sauvignon Blanc by nearly 40% to concentrate flavor.

With three winemakers, our vineyard oversight improved dramatically. Between the entire team, we now visit vineyards ten times more frequently than in years past. Our harvesting time, on average, is three to six weeks later in the season to allow for more flavor development. When the grapes arrive in the winery, our cold-soak, fermentation, and maceration times are now two to three times longer for increased
extraction and texture. Fermentation temperatures are five to ten percent lower, allowing flavor development to mature over a longer period of time. We also added six new barrel cooperages for more aromatic and textural complexity. Lastly, we blend wines much later in their cellaring time in an effort to achieve harmonious layering, a characteristic of seamless wines.

Making just one of these improvements would result in notably more dynamic wines. Adding all of these improvements has created a completely new flavor profile and texture for every Matthews wine.

Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to present our new wines to renowned wine critic Anthony Muller at Robert Parker. Here are some of his thoughts and reviews:

“Quote”

In celebration, we are thrilled to announce the 2021 Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon, Claret, and Cuvée will be available August 1st, both online and in our Woodinville tasting rooms. These wines represent our twenty-year journey in fulfilling the potential of authentic Washington State wine.

The work we have done as a team to re-imagine our winemaking process has given our family a renewed sense of wonder for what is possible with our vineyards across the Columbia Valley. We are grateful for the years of support from our members and friends and are eager to share these new wines. Our family is excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to walk the journey alongside you.

With gratitude,

The Otis Family

In 2021, we were joined by a new winemaking team - Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, and Jesse Schmidt. With more than 30 years of winemaking experience, Alex, Hal and Jesse have been instrumental in crafting Washington State’s highest-rated Sauvignon Blanc and more 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon wines than all other Washington wineries combined. The level of expertise they brought to Matthews resulted in a complete overhaul of existing winemaking techniques and processes.

The overhaul began in the vineyards, with 50% new vineyard sources for reds, and 70% new vineyard sources for whites (namely Sauvignon Blanc). We also added six new grape clones across all varietals for increased complexity and dimension. We reduced red grape yields by 20-30%, and Sauvignon Blanc by nearly 40% to concentrate flavor.

With three winemakers, our vineyard oversight improved dramatically. Collectively, we are now able to visit vineyards more frequently than in years past.

With three winemakers, our vineyard oversight improved dramatically. Between the entire team, we now visit vineyards ten times more frequently than in years past. Our harvesting time, on average, is three to six weeks later in the season to allow for more flavor development. When the grapes arrive in the winery, our cold-soak, fermentation, and maceration times are now two to three times longer for increased extraction and texture. Fermentation temperatures are five to ten percent lower, allowing flavor development to mature over a longer period of time. We also added six new barrel cooperages for more aromatic and textural complexity. Lastly, we blend wines much later in their cellaring time in an effort to achieve harmonious layering, a characteristic of seamless wines.

Making just one of these improvements would result in notably more dynamic wines. Adding all of these improvements has created a completely new flavor profile and texture for every Matthews wine.

Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to present our new wines to renowned wine critic Anthony Muller at Robert Parker. Here are some of his thoughts and reviews:

“Quote”

In celebration, we are thrilled to announce the 2021 Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon, Claret, and Cuvée will be available August 1st, both online and in our Woodinville tasting rooms. These wines represent our twenty-year journey in fulfilling the potential of authentic Washington State wine.

The work we have done as a team to re-imagine our winemaking process has given our family a renewed sense of wonder for what is possible with our vineyards across the Columbia Valley. We are grateful for the years of support from our members and friends and are eager to share these new wines. Our family is excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to walk the journey alongside you.

With gratitude,

The Otis Family

The sum of all these improvements has created a completely new flavor profile and experience for every Matthews wine.
— Bryan Otis, Proprietor

In celebration, we are thrilled to announce the 2021 Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon, Claret, and Cuvée will be available August 1st, both online and in our Woodinville tasting rooms. These wines represent our twenty-year journey in fulfilling the potential of authentic Washington State wine.

The work we have done as a team to re-imagine our winemaking process has given our family a renewed sense of wonder for what is possible with our vineyards across the Columbia Valley.

We are grateful for the years of support from our members and friends. We are eager to share these new wines. Our family is excited for what the future holds. We invite you to walk this journey with us.

With gratitude,

The Otis Family