2014 Matthiasson Cabernet Franc Matthiasson Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 88.8 points

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  10/8/2020 - Fractalage Likes this wine:

  This is really something special.
  I bought this directly from Steve in 2016 after having showcased some rare Syrah from Cornas that was used to paint a large triptych for a friend in common from Sweden who had gone to high school with us in Tucson. That night we opened a 2007 Paris Granit 60, which he liked for its authenticity. He claimed it was his first tasting of that producer. That night in Napa, at the edge of the Matthiasson Vineyard, under his pregnant persimmon tree we reminisced about the 80’s and the issues of wine manipulation. He taught me that his estate vines were similarly stressed by the native grasses just as vines planted on steep hills, which is reason to never use glyphosate to kill them off, as they assist in producing fantastic wine. He told of how he is “grape-intuitive”, which is a term I coined for this man’s skill in tasting the grape to extrapolate to what it will taste like in a finished wine. He described that he does not go through the extensive self-guessing of tasting over and over which ruins his palate, but intuitively puts the juice together to create what is in the bottle. Steve is genius, both in the vineyard and in the winery.
  This bottle had been in my wine fridge for the last 4 years at a solid 55 degrees. I brought it out and stood it up for 3 weeks. I kept checking every few days with my powerful LED to make sure all the sediment had settled. It was cloudy until today. Half a glass remained in the bottle. Sediment was fine.
  This bottle will age for longer, for sure.
  Its 12.4% makes me proud to be drinking this from Napa, which reminds me of our conversation about big alcohol wines and how yeast shits on itself to get to 15% putting into those wines compounds to drive headaches and hangovers.
  After decanting it had a delicious nose of muted fruit with earth tones that closed up to nothing, but 30 minutes later came back into flowers and subtle candy. It held a core of subtle earth that had purity suggesting that this was very well made and quality. I’m guessing it’s still got a day or more of evolution.
  On the palate it opened to glorious complexity, putting on more weight with air. I loved the candy and earth play with its purity. It’s quality and worth the cellaring.
  Every now and then I wondered if a note of Brett came up: If there was a sharp note of Brett that was illusive, but then, I had to doubt it.
  Congrats on a great wine, Steve.

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  11/30/2018 - Rich S wrote: 87 Points

  Popped and poured. Medium ruby color. Nose of tart red fruits, hint of green bean and earthy, peppery spice on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate with a definite rustic, earthy flavor profile. Slightly muddled and when paired with lighter body and softer than expected acidity, it drank slightly disjointed but came together toward the end after about an hour or so of air. Could be in a weird phase and might just need a little more time.

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  7/8/2017 - Rieslingfan wrote:

  This is an interesting rendition of Cabernet Franc that has one foot in California, and the other in the Loire. Spicy and floral tones (from the 50% whole cluster perhaps) combine with ripe red fruit. There is not a ton of structure, but what there is seems mostly from the soft acids. I picked up a hint of green tobacco, but none of the more aggressive green that some Loire Franc can have. Easy to drink, this is worth following over the short to medium term. I will be interested to see what happens as the vines mature a bit.

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  4/8/2017 - wgmccallum wrote: 88 Points

  Bright fruity nose with a nice peppery barnyard note, floral overtones. Clear spread of soft fruit on the palate, a little watery and light on the acid, bright bitter notes at the back. Can't quite sort this wine out; it has some excellent qualities that are hard to put together. 50 + 16 + 15 + 7 = 88.

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  1/21/2017 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Dark ruby. Soothing aromas of oak, soil, and dark red fruit. Great concentration of fruit on the palate, moving from bright red berries at the front to darker plum flavors at the back, excellent balance of acid and tannin, long finish. 50 + 15 + 17 + 8 = 90.

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