Today we share the electric new wines of Matthews. It has been over 20 years since I first sipped my first Matthews wine. Founded back in 1992 the winery has found great success under proprietor Bryan Otis who was in banking before joining his family winery. In 2021 he hired the winemaking team from Quilceda Creek. This has been a total game-changer for the Matthews program as the wines are now clearly in the upper-echelon on Washington wine.
The team is led by winemakers Alex Stewart and Hal Iverson who make wines that are dense and jam-packed full of flavor. They are not for the weary but are also beautifully-structured. Matthews now has an AVA series in their portfolio which lies under their ‘Reserve’ series. These wines are very well-priced for the quality in the bottle.
They did a marvelous job with their 2022 ‘AVA’ series wines. I adore the 2022 Matthews ’Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 96) which is a decadent treat that is drinking beautifully right now. Learn more about these amazing new wines at http://www.matthewswinery.com/ Here are the great ‘22 releases by Matthews.
2022 Matthews ‘Royal Slope’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 Matthews ‘Royal Slope’ Cabernet Sauvignon was stored.nearly all new French oak barrels before bottling. Creme de cassis and tar mark the nose with sweet pipe tobacco. The palate is refined and elegant with a smooth mouthfeel. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Merlot- The 2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Merlot has some Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. This is plush and delicious wine, showing Cuban cigar, milk chocolate, dark currants and tar notes. Smooth and viscous, with a gorgeous mouthfeel, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Franc- The 2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Franc comes mainly from the Spice Cabinet vineyard. Purple flowers mark the nose alongside green herbs and mocha tones. The palate is heady and plush with serious texture and good freshness. Drink 2025-2037- 95
2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 Matthews ‘Horse Heaven Hills’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a range of sites in the AVA including the Wallula and Phinny Ridge Vineyards. This is elegant and refined stuff with a soft mouthfeel. Tar, tobacco leaf and dense dark fruits mingle well with creme de cassis on the palate. Drink 2025-2037- 95
2022 Matthews ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Franc- This 2022 ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Franc is mainly coming from Quintessence and Angela’s Vineyards. It is spicy and gorgeous iwht a smooth mouthfeel and great green herbal character on the palate. Heady dark fruits parade with espresso bean and milk chocolate flavors. Gorgeous now, enjoy over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2025-2037- 95
2022 Matthews ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The outstanding 2022 Matthews ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon offers Turkish coffee and tar notes on the nose alongside creme de violette. The palate is deep and rich with terrific flavor density and marvelous weight and depth. This is a steal at this price point. Drink 2025-2037- 96