2022Cuvée
2022Cuvée
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.
Saturated dark crimson, with a bing cherry rim, offering a concentrated nose of dark fruits, violets, and candied ginger. The palate showcases a wealth of black cherry, sassafras, and damson plum, delivering a mid-palate with remarkable stuffing and complexity. The finish is a crescendo of fine-grained tannins, ripe raspberry, and quenching acidity.
62% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec
Awards & Accolades
"In the glass, it presents a dense ruby-black hue, promising intensity from the first swirl. Aromatics are layered and savory, mulled red currants, black plum skin, toasted allspice, pipe tobacco, and cracked bay leaf. The palate is broad and muscular, with plush fruit at the core-black cherry compote, fig paste, and hints of espresso all wrapped in a firm framework of graphite-laced tannins. There’s a chewy density to its mid-palate, but the wine maintains freshness and poise, thanks to well measured acidity and earth driven complexity."
94 points, Jeremy Young, International Wine Report
"Mostly Merlot in this cuvée, it's silken and elegant on the palate, dark brooding notes of crushed black stone and earth mixed with smoky spice notes of roast coffee bean, dark smoky rose petals, baking chocolate, delicious, and lingering intensity."
94 points, Clive Pursehouse, Decanter
"Its blackberry and grape hyacinth aromas encircle a savory note similar to a grilled pork chop. This medium-bodied wine's black cherry, divinity and espresso flavors are backed by a massive wall of tannins and slightly elevated acidity. The Cuvée is destined to be served with turkey burgers topped with slices of bacon and tomato."
93 points, Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast
"The dark fruits, smooth mouthfeel, and ripe slightly grainy tannins are a thread running through all the Matthews red wines, suggesting both power and pleasure will come with that first sip. This feels front loaded, immediately flavorful with a rich mix of graphite, toast, sandalwood, cherries and tobacco. It falls away gracefully, though with a medium short finish."
93 points, Paul Gregutt, Northwest Wine Guide