Matthiasson, Linda Vista Chardonnay 2023, Napa Valley
3 in stock
Ask a Napa winemaker what they drink at home and which fellow winemakers they most admire and the answer, frequently, is Matthiasson. Steve and Jill Matthiasson met through their work in sustainable agriculture, and Steve’s career has also included a decade at Stag’s Leap. Deeply committed to regenerative farming, they regard themselves as farmers first and winemakers second. Eric Asimov has written in the NY Times: ‘Matthiasson wines bear an agricultural stamp, as fresh, lively and alive as the best produce from a farmers’ market.’
Their standard-bearing viticultural work is matched by an intuitive approach in the winery, and sustainability doesn’t stop with their plants. Steve will talk about his vineyard team’s access to comprehensive health insurance as passionately as he will his cover crop or sulphur dioxide regime.
Linda Vista Chardonnay is Steve and Jill creating the kind of lower alcohol, acid-driven wines they love to drink at home. The vineyard is a stone’s throw from the Matthiasson’s house, in the Oak Knoll AVA once considered too cool for reds. The Chardonnay is picked over multiple passes in the vineyard, by their permanent team, to build a spectrum of ripeness in the cellar. All grapes are whole bunch pressed into old oak barrels, with battonage and malolactic are kept to a minimum. The result is a beautiful mix of sunny fruit, a slight creaminess, but laser-focused, mouth-watering acidity throughout.
