Since 1992, Matthews has been crafting some excellent Bordeaux style wines. Family owned and operated, Matthews relies on the winemaking talents of Aryn Morell. Morell has more than an exceptional resume, having previously worked at some of the highest end Napa wineries. In fact he has had previous stints at Joseph Phelps, Quintessa, Hartwell, Chimney Rock, Caldwell Vineyards, Vineyard 29, Chappellet, Rutherford Hill, Spring Mountain Winery, Stags Leap Winery, and Turnbull. He became head winemaker for Matthews in 2007 and in 2008 he launched Tenor Wines, a focus on ultra-premium red and white Bordeaux style wines. Morell sources his grapes from some great vineyards in Washington like Stillwater Creek, Weinbau and Sagemoor. All wines are made at his production facility in Walla Walla.
A recent visit to the Matthews/Tenor tasting room in Woodinville impressed. The wines showed the balance that Morell is known for, as the structure of his red and white wines were exceptional. Morell’s winemaking style is Bordelaise, as his wines are typically more classic, even in warmer years. His 2013 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 92 points) was highly impressive and is one of the best Washington Sauvignon Blancs that I have sampled in the past year. Despite the heat of the vintage Morell was able to obtain lovely structure alongside the dense fruit flavors. Other solid efforts included the 2012 Matthews Claret (WWB, 92 points), which is a blend of 54% Cab Sauvignon, 25% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec, & 3% Petit Verdot. This wine sings with balance and ripe fruit flavors. While it is hard to resist right now, it will cellar beautifully. Here are some of the great wines that I recently sampled at Matthews and Tenor wines. Learn more about them at http://www.matthewswinery.com/ and http://www.tenorwines.com/
2014 Matthews ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc-This wine has nice viscosity in glass and includes some Sagemoor vineyard fruit with the mainly Stillwater Creek fruit. It begins with aromas of cut grass, oak, and cantaloupe. They elected to age 30% of the wine in concrete vessels, while the rest was aged in stainless steel. There are medium weight flavors of orange zest, cantaloupe, poached pear, as the wine finishes slightly sweet. Nice combination of structure and fruit to this solid bottling. Drink 2016-2022- 90
2013 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc- Sourced from the Stillwater Creek and Lawrence vineyards, the wine was aged for 7 months in 100% new French oak, without fining or filtration. This dense white wine begins with aromas of whipping cream, oak, cut grass and ripe Bartlett pear. There are flavors of Fuji apple, honeydew melon and oak with a long finish. Very impressive, with a rich mouthfeel. Drink 2016-2024- 92
2013 Matthews ‘Blackboard’ Red Wine- The fruit from this wine was sourced from a host of vineyards including Hedges, Bel'Villa, Red Mountain, Canyons, Stillwater Creek, Weinbau, Bacchus, Dionysus, Pepperbridge, XL, and Blue Mountain vineyards. It was aged in 20% new French oak, 80% once and twice used French oak before bottling in March 2015. This red blend begins with aromas of dill, red bell pepper, anise and spicebox. Three are medium weight flavors of red bell pepper, anise, red cherry and nutmeg. Lovely structure to this solid bottling, as I can see this thing cellaring well. Drink 2016-2024- 90
2012 Matthews ‘Columbia Valley’ Claret-The wine was aged 18 months in 40% new French and 60% once used French oak before bottling in May 2014. It is a complex blend of 54% Cab Sauvignon, 25% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Malbec, & 3% Petit Verdot. You can see that this has had some time in the bottle to soften. This wine opens with aromas of dill, blackberry pie, and blueberry compote. There are deep flavors of blackberry pie, blueberry, black plum, and graphite. Lovely structure, as this has racy acidity. Give this thing a one hour decant before opening right now. Drink 2016-2026- 92
2012 Tenor 2:2- Grapes were sourced from the Hedges Estate, Red Mountain Vineyard, and Stillwater Creek vineyard. This is their right bank blend, as it is comprised of Merlot, Cab Franc and a touch of Cabernet. It was aged 18 months in 88% new French oak prior to bottling. This wine begins with perfumed aromas of blackberry preserves, anise, and cedar with a touch of black truffle oil. There are flavors of anise, cassis, blackberry jam, black plum and cloves with Turkish coffee alongside mild to moderate tannins. This wine will cellar well but it is hard to resist right now. Drink 2016-2027- 93
2011 Tenor 2:2- This Merlot blend was sourced from the Stillwater Creek, Red Mountain, Weinbau and Bel'villa vineyards. The wine begins with herbaceous aromas of dried sage, red bell pepper and blackberry jam. This leads to flavors of anise, cassis, blackberry and medium weight. Lovely structure but not quite the weight or complexity of the 2012. This will cellar gracefully. Drink 2016-2025- 91
2012 Tenor 1:1- This wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. It was aged 20 months in 100% new French oak and was sourced from Hedges Estate, Red Mountain, and Stillwater Creek vineyards. There are complex aromatics of black cherry black plum oak and blackberry cobbler. This leads to flavors of blackberry, anise, coffee grounds and graphite alongside moderate tannins. This will have a very long life in the cellar but if you want to consume it immediately, give this gorgeous wine at least an hour decant. Drink 2018-2029- 92
2010 Tenor 1:1- The Cabernet wine was sourced from the Stillwater Creek vineyard and the Lawrence vineyard. It was aged 16 months in new French oak prior to bottling. This wine starts with a bouquet of dill, red cherry, red raspberry, lavender and cassis. Slightly on the herbaceous side, but in a good way. This leads to flavors of mocha, black cherry, black olive and pipe tobacco alongside moderate tannins. Drink 2016-2028- 92
2012 Tenor Syrah- This dark hued wine begins with dense aromas of smoked meats leather and wet rock. There are medium to heavy weight flavors of sagebrush, anise, smoked meats and tar alongside mocha and blackberry jam. Delicious and age-worthy Syrah that will cellar very well. Drink 2016-2025- 92
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