The Columbia Valley is a gift to this tradition. Long summer light, cool nights, steady winds, and well-drained soils ripen Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc in balance year after year. Our region is capable of delivering purity of fruit, natural energy, and the kind of texture that rewards careful blending. Matthews Cuvée channels this Right Bank lens through our favorite Columbia Valley parcels, offering a supple, vibrant expression of place that feels both timeless and distinctly our own.
The 2022 Matthews Columbia Valley Cuvée is drawn from several small parcels across the Columbia Valley, with key sites in the Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Royal Slope AVAs, as well as the famed Conner Lee Vineyard. Together they express the breadth of flavor and aroma possible in a Merlot-dominant blend from Washington’s diverse terroirs.
Our new winemaking team partnered with vineyard managers to refine viticulture across these sites, reducing yields by roughly 30% to focus concentration, then extending picks by 3–6 weeks versus prior vintages so each block could reach optimal ripeness and flavor. Our vineyard blocks were hand-harvested in the cool of morning throughout mid-October, with the final pick on November 1st. At the winery, each lot was hand-sorted, destemmed, and berry-sorted, then cold-soaked for two days before a 14-day fermentation and 14+ days of extended maceration (about 32 days total) to integrate color, tannin, and texture. The wine was cellared for 26 months in French oak (35% new). We selected 117 barrels for the final blend, bottling in January 2025 for a total of 2,892 cases.
Twelve different clones contribute to the finished wine: Cabernet Sauvignon 191, 8, 2, 4; Merlot 15, 2, 3; Cabernet Franc 1, 327; Malbec 4.
