Matthiasson Phoenix Vineyards Cabernet S. 2021

The pinnacle of Matthiasson wines, this distinctive Cabernet hails from our old-vine, hand-farmed, organic estate vineyard overlooking the Napa Valley. The 2021 vintage boasts incredible depth and beautiful elegance, a product of the drought year and the unique marine soils. The addition of small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc add to the wine’s hallmark complexity. It will reward long aging or can be enjoyed young with a meal after a little decanting.
99 points - Decanter Magazine - "The epitome of elegance and a classy wine in a class of its own."
(Jonathan Cristaldi - September, 2024)
TASTING NOTES
Lush red cherries and black currants are joined by bay leaf and baked-earth nuances that build on the palate and linger on the finish. Great acid balance and moderate tannins will preserve this wine for many years to come as it develops even more complexity. 
RECOMMENDED PAIRINGS
Standing rib roast or beef tenderloin
Rich winter stews
Braised lamb shank
STORY
In 2017, we had an opportunity of a lifetime. After 22 years of making wine wherever we could find space, we had the chance to buy our own winery. The elderly owners of the vineyard and winery next door to a property we were farming could no longer manage the upkeep and needed help. We started farming their grapes for them as a favor, and later that same year purchased the property, granting them a lifetime estate; we gained our dream of a winery, and they secured their home for the rest of their lives.
The Phoenix Vineyard was planted in 1982 by that same family on the steep hillside above the winery. They used old heritage field selections of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. With the help of their sons they lovingly cared for the vines themselves the entire time. When we took over, we converted to Organic Farming, planted new vines where some of the old vines had given up, and focused on rejuvenating the old vines with compost and pruning.
The steep hillside and narrow rows require most that work be done by hand; even the compost is applied with shovels and wheelbarrows, that task alone takes two weeks. It’s a challenging vineyard to farm but it’s worth it.
The soils are some of the most unique in the entire Napa Valley. While most of the best vineyard soils in the Napa Valley are either of volcanic origin or are on mixed alluvial deposits, the East-facing steep hillside of the Phoenix Vineyard sits on an undisturbed ridge of ancient marine shale soils.
FARMING & WINEMAKING
2021 was a drought year, and the vineyard pond stayed empty throughout the winter, leaving us completely without irrigation water. This caused the vineyard to be fully dry-farmed in our driest year in decades — amazingly the deep roots of the vines worked their magic, and the vines hung in there all season. The result was small yields of wine with incredible depth, along with an early harvest that led to beautiful elegance.
Vine by vine selections are made at harvest. We make multiple picks and our crew is meticulous in only harvesting vines at the ideal ripeness. The wine sees delestages and extended pumpovers during peak fermentation to ensure we capture all the flavor and texture the fruit has to offer. We press the wine at dryness to maintain freshness and the rich, red fruit notes. 
In 2021, we added a small amount of Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Franc (9%) to the Cabernet Sauvignon base (81%). The Merlot adds lushness and elegance while the Cabernet Franc accentuates the herbal notes. This wine was given 20 months of elevage in ~20% new French oak, a few older French oak barrels, two seasoned Demi-muids, and a large foudre (to preserve the aromatics, similar to Barolo style aging). 
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The pH is 3.73, TA is 5.9 g/L, and alcohol is 12.0%. 349 cases produced. 
Estate-grown in a certified organic vineyard. Native yeast fermentation.