2021 Matthews Winery "Claret", Columbia Valley, Washington

2021 Matthews Winery "Claret", Columbia Valley, Washington

The 2021 Columbia Valley Claret is an inky deep garnet in the glass with a rich magenta rim. Powerful aromas of juicy black raspberry, fresh fig, ginger spice, and cigar wrapper lead to decadent flavors of bourbon cherries, violets, blackberry pie, and allspice. The full-bodied mouthfeel is unctuous with broad velvety tannins. Graphite and ripe berry reduction remain on the dense, textural, and persistent finish.

$56.99
$56.99

There are 3 units left in stock.

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 2021 Matthews Columbia Valley Claret is comprised of several small vineyard parcels within the greater Columbia Valley, with key vineyard sites in Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Royal Slope AVA’s as well as the famed Conner Lee vineyard. This wine truly represents the broad flavor and aromatic expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon from the diverse terroirs of Washington State. The new winemaking team worked with our vineyard managers to update our viticultural practices, reducing yields (on average) by 30% for each site. These restricted yields created small, concentrated berries. Further vineyard dedication meant we were able to harvest between 3-6 weeks later than previous vintages. This allowed each site to fully develop the proper ripeness and flavor profile we were looking for.

Each vineyard was hand-harvested in the early mornings between late September & early October, cultivating on October 28th for our last pick. Upon arriving at the winery, each vineyard parcel was hand-sorted, de-stemmed, and berry-sorted. The grapes were placed in tank and cold soaked for 2 days, before undergoing a 14 day fermentation and an additional 14 days of extended maceration, resulting in 32+ days on skins for maximum extraction and integrated tannins. The wine was cellared for 19 months in new French oak (27%) and used French oak (73%). In the spring of 2022, we selected 201 barrels to be carefully selected and blended. The wine was bottled in June, producing only 5083 cases.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Born and raised in Washington State, the Otis family is grateful to live in such a dynamic wine region. In 2008, the Otis family rescued Matthews Winery from financial difficulties and since then, has worked alongside remarkable winemakers to empower them in the mission to produce the purest expressions of Washington State wines.

In their journey to elevate Matthews, the Otis family has launched new wineries that focus on the delectable wines that can only come from Washington State. These are Tenor, Jaine, Blackboard, and Single Barrel.

Details:

Grape(s) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot