2022 Matthiasson, ''Linda Vista Vineyard'' Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, USA

ABOUT THIS WINE

From the winery: "The Linda Vista Vineyard is just across the creek behind our house. The West Oak Knoll area where we live is one of the classic Chardonnay spots in Napa—Chardonnay from just behind us won the famous Paris tasting in 1976. The cool winds off the San Pablo Bay bring acidity and freshness, while the Napa sun gives flesh and ripeness. The 25-year old vines were originally planted by Beringer, and we’re proud to take our turn caring for them as the vineyard develops maturity. Certified Organic. Moderate alcohol and vibrant acidity are the trademarks of the Linda Vista vineyard, complemented by the perfect amount of luscious creaminess.

For complexity, completeness, and balance, we achieve a diversity of ripeness by using the traditional method of harvesting the fruit a number of different times during the ripening period. The earlier harvests contribute acidity and minerality, and the later harvests contribute flesh and richness. We gently whole cluster press all of the grapes, then ferment and age the wine sur lees in seasoned French oak barrels (no oak flavor), with only native yeast. No racking and minimal battonage (lees stirring) on only a few selected barrels. We allow two-fifths of the barrels to go through malo-lactic fermentation for complexity and balance."

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

 From the winery: "Steve dreamt of farming his entire life. He became an obsessed gardener and cook while studying philosophy in college. In 1994, while back in grad school for horticulture after three years as a bike messenger/wannabe farmer, he found a job in vineyards and orchards working for a small sustainable agriculture consulting firm. In 1999 he co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. In 2002 he started consulting on vineyard practices in Napa. He still loves the challenge of solving vineyard problems for others, but since 2003 the primary focus has been on our own family farming and winemaking. Steve is a life-long student of the craft of viticulture. 

Jill always felt that the intersection of nature and culture was the most important thing. She studied botany at Penn, researched ancient farming techniques in Israel, and studied traditional methods for soil health in grad school at UC Davis. She pioneered “farmer to farmer” networking for sustainability in the early 90s while working for a family farming non-profit, and ran programs training farmers on direct sales, such as CSAs and farmers markets, before local food had the momentum that it has now. As the family grew, that passion translated into more local action, like teaching cooking from the garden classes in the local grade school, and serving on the Napa Farmer’s Market board. She runs the business side of the family farming and wine business."