Our highest Jeb Dunnunk reviews, ever!
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We’re excited to share our highest reviews ever from celebrated wine critic, Virginie Boone at JebDunnuck.com
The Columbia Valley is entering its golden era.
With thriving vineyard health, mature vines, intentional clonal selection, and precise winemaking, our wines reflect a region beginning to realize its full potential.
While the Columbia Valley produces over 17 million cases of wine annually, only a handful of vineyard sites are truly positioned to craft wines of exceptional character. At Matthews, beginning in earnest in 2021, we set out to identify and elevate these special sites, guiding them to their purest expression.
The 2022 vintage is a perfect example of what makes our region so extraordinary, especially when a vintage is stewarded to its final moment.
We’re honored that the 2022 Reserve-level wines have received the highest scores in our history from acclaimed wine critic Virginie Boone at JebDunnuck.com.
Wine, at its heart, is an invitation to explore. For those ready to discover something new, our wines offer a journey into the quintessential Columbia Valley.
Click below to read Virginie Boone’s reviews of our 2022 vintage. The wines can be acquired through our online wine shop or at our Winery + Farm in Woodinville, Wa.
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2022 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – 98 pts
Soft in tannins and densely red-fruited, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers classic earthiness and herbal qualities against a lovely framework of structured tannin and oak integration. The 100% Cabernet grapes are sourced from 38% Red Mountain (Quintessence, Shaw, Canyons), 31% Horse Heaven Hills (Wallula Gap, Phinny Hill, Milts), and 31% Royal Slope (Solaksen, Scarline). Graphite, violet, and dried herb accent a highly polished, full-bodied palate of crushed velvet texture that’s built for 25 years or more of aging.
2022 Matthews Reserve Claret – 98 pts
Vibrantly purple in color, the producer started making the 2022 Reserve Claret in 2016, after making Claret since 2000. Combining 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec, it’s inky dark in color, intoxicatingly perfumed in violet, and bursting in full-bodied, concentrated layers of cassis, sandalwood, and sage. aromas. Fruit is sourced from 43% Red Mountain (Canyons, Red Mountain Vineyard, Quintessence), 33% Royal Slope (Solaksen, Scarline), and 24% Horse Heaven Hills (Phinny Hill, Milts). A seductive texture and seamless tannins give it a structural beauty that’s hard to beat, finishing in toasty notes, dried herb, and gravel. It shows potential to age another 20-30 years.
2022 Matthews Reserve Cuvée – 98 pts
A rich Merlot-based, Pomerol-inspired blend with 18% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Malbec, the 2022 Reserve Cuvee is textured with a velvety grip. Brooding black cherry cola presents as deeply concentrated and full-bodied, accented in dried herb, tobacco, leaf, and leathery saddle. Grapes are sourced from 44% Red Mountain (Red Mountain Vineyard, Two of Us, Quintessence), 44% Royal Slope (Solaksen, Scarline), and 12% Horse Heaven Hills (Wallula Gap). The good bones show beautiful aging potential of 20-30 years.
2022 Matthews Reserve Merlot – 97 pts
Made from a blend of areas to show what is possible with Washington Merlot and blended with 14% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Merlot Reserve is pretty and aromatic in gravel minerality and crème de cassis. Its thick tannin profile is softened by classic elements of dried herb, iron, pencil, and mocha, with plenty of full-bodied power, stuffing, and structure. Cellar through 2042.
2023 Matthews Reserve Sauvignon Blanc – 96 pts
Barrel-fermented and full-bodied, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is unctuous in wet stone and floral aromatics, but most memorably impressive for its texture and weightlessness. Rich, ripe layers of apricot and passionfruit benefit from bright acidity and a backbone of structure, graceful through its inherent power. This will continue to develop further over the next 10-12 years.
2022 Matthews Reserve Cabernet Franc – 95 pts
The full-bodied 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve offers beautiful floral and herbal qualities, blending 85% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Soft, supple tannins meet seductive, well-integrated oak, giving the palate a seamlessness of tremendous finesse and complexity. The finish is long, dry, and savory in oak spice, with a lasting note of violet. Cellar through 2042.
2023 Matthews Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc – 94 pts
A little cloudiness in the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc doesn't mar the elegance and lift of the texture and finesse in this medium-bodied wine. Stone fruit and crushed rock highlight a core of focused acidity that keeps it fresh in the glass and lengthy for additional aging 7-10 years.
2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – 93 pts
Dusty, structured, and intensely full-bodied, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon needs time but shows ample red fruit and earthy character to compel over a long stretch. From a collection of great sites, including Conner Lee and Solaksen, it spent 26 months in French oak, 40% of it new, and should hit its ideal drinking window 2030-2035.
2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Claret – 92 pts
Blending classic elements of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Malbec, the 2022 Claret is demure on the nose in baking spice, peppercorn, and oak. The modest fruit is high-toned and earthy, girded by savory gunpowder, tobacco, and thyme. The wine is full-bodied and weighty but refined. Drink through 2033.
2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Cuvée – 91 pts
Merlot leads the way in the 2022 Columbia Valley Cuvee, making up 62% of the wine, which also benefits from the additions of 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec. The tannins are firm and substantial, adding weight and breadth across a layering of black and red berry intensity and hearty oak. Age 7-10 years.
2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Merlot – 91 pts
The 2022 Merlot offers the variety's signature softness and accessibility in a complex, relatively structured coming together of earthy clove, tobacco, and dried herb. With 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, it has plenty of power and weight, expanding across the palate in dense, full-bodied layers of polished tannin. Drink through 2032.
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We’re deeply committed to guiding and sharing the true potential of the Columbia Valley… one vineyard, one bottle, and one relationship at a time. This region fuels our passion and creativity every day, and it’s our mission to bring you closer to the beauty, complexity, and meaning we experience among these remarkable vineyards.
The Columbia Valley’s dynamic terroir, dramatic seasons, and evolving winemaking tradition have shaped not only exceptional wines, but the very purpose behind our work: to craft something quintessential and to invite you into it.
We’re grateful to be on this journey with you. Thank you for allowing us to be your guides through the Columbia Valley’s unfolding story.
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To experience these wines, make a reservation here to visit us at our Woodinville Tasting Room + Farm. We would love to host you alongside your family + friends.