Reserve Claret

2016
Reserve Claret

Vintages

Varietal(s)

72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Vinification

Fermented in 72% concrete and 28% stainless steel tanks. Aged for 26 months in 65% new French oak.

Alcohol

14.6%

Cases Produced

365

Vintage Notes

The 2016 Matthews Reserve Claret was crafted from several small vineyard parcels across three separate AVAs in Washington State: Columbia Valley, Red Mountain, and the Walla Walla Valley. Farmed using sustainable practices, the vines were limited to one or two clusters per shoot to create maximum concentration in each cluster. They were hand-harvested in the early morning between late September and late October, with the final pick on October 28th, 2016. Upon arriving in the winery, each cluster was hand-sorted, berry-sorted, and then fermented in either concrete (72%) or stainless steel (28%) tanks. Using only the free-run wine, it was then moved to custom French oak barrels (65% new) for 26 months of cellaring with over 40 individual evaluations by our winemaking team. The resulting 16 barrels were bottled, without fining or filtration, on January 12th, 2019, producing only 391 cases.

Expert Reviews & Scores

  • Stephen Tanzer, Vinous

    93 / 100

    Bright dark ruby. Crushed blackberry, cassis, black pepper and bitter chocolate on the nose, plus a sexy oak component that's not intrusive. Wonderfully sweet and yet quite penetrating, conveying terrific inner-mouth floral lift to its flavors of dark fruits, minerals and cocoa powder. Finishes very long, with dusty, fine-grained tannins and captivating fruit sweetness. This wine's aromatic expression is still a bit constrained by its sheer mass but it possesses the energy to broaden and expand with time in bottle.

    Jeb Dunnuckjebdunnuck.com

    93 / 100

    The flagship 2016 Reserve Claret is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 26 months in 65% new French oak. Its saturated purple color gives way to a medium to full-bodied, pure, incredibly classy wine that has textbook cassis, blueberry, charcoal, and spring flower aromas and flavors. With some background oak, terrific balance, and a pure, balanced style, it’s another seamless 2016 that does everything right.

    Anthony Mueller, The Wine Advocate

    92 / 100

    The 2016 Reserve Claret is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that opens to a frame of dark cherry, blackberry and plum before offering aromas of sweet oak, vanilla and dusty florals with herbal essence. Full-bodied, the palate is ripe, juicy and correct, full of complexity and shows depth and breadth across the mid-palate. The wine has impressive weight and balance and pleasing structure, and it ends with flavors of black plum skin, mocha and subtle nuances of dried herbs on the long, lingering finish. This is a well-constructed wine that will age for more than a decade. I’m impressed, I’m going back for seconds. Only 391 cases produced.

  • James Sucklingjamessuckling.com

    92 / 100

    Some quite intense aromas of dark plums, baking spices and chocolate lead to a palate that has abundant, fine-grained tannins and a sleek, fresh and polished feel. This has plenty to offer now or later. Drink or hold.

    Sean Sullivan, Wine Enthusiast

    91 / 100

    This wine is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, coming from six different vineyards across the Columbia Valley. Aromas of coffee grounds, dried herbs, graphite and cherry are followed by dark chocolate and cherry flavors that bring a sense of polish and elegance.

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