2021 Matthiasson Linda Vista Chardonnay

WINEMAKER: Steve & Jill Matthiasson
REGION: California, USA
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic

From the Chardonnay vineyard behind the Matthiasson’s home, in a part of Napa historically considered too marginal for most reds. Cool winds and clay soils here preserve zesty acidity and freshness, while the Napa sun provides richness and ripeness. For complexity and balance fruit is harvested multiple times during the ripening period. Earlier harvests contribute acidity and minerality, and the later harvests contribute flesh and richness. Spontaneous fermentation and ageing in old oak. No lees stirring or racking.

Golden Delicious apples, yellow peaches, musk melon, and honey greet the nose and persist through to the palate. Medium acidity is balanced by pleasant fleshiness, finishing very clean with a hint of minerality.

Since the 2003 founding of their winery, Steve and Jill Matthiasson have practiced viticulture and enology in a style that made them one of the earliest proponents of ‘new California winemaking’. They have also demonstrated that the human component of winemaking extends far beyond the winemaker. Steve’s notoriety as one of the United States’ most intuitive viticulturists and most sought-after vineyard managers speaks to his continued forward momentum of working cleanly in his vineyards and encouraging others to do the same.