2016 Matthiasson, Chardonnay, Michael Mara Vineyard, Sonoma Coast.
One of rare gems in Steve Matthiasson’s collection is the unique Michael Mara Chardonnay, which comes off a unique and rocky site in Sonoma Mountain area, making for a rich and mineral driven wine that almost has a Hermitage Blanc like profile! Tasted blind, thanks to winemaker Ian Brand, who brought it to a small gathering of wine industry peeps, I thought for sure it was a Roussanne based wine with its toasted marshmallow, apricot and almond paste notes. As it opened it gathered up more Chardonnay like qualities with apple and pear fruits, along with clove spice, wet stones, lemon curd, waxy honeycomb and golden fig notes. The wood is fairly subtle with a touch of smokiness, vanilla and an almost oily mouth feel, making this an opulent and nicely mature wine that would be great with lobster and or soft farm cheeses. Matthiasson, one of the most respected vineyard managers in California and who has a cult like following for his own wines, including some extremely rare varietals, like his Rofosco and Ribolla Gialla. Steve says for this wine, the fruit is picked in two batches, with the first batch, 80% of the wine, being harvested very early, to capture the high natural acidity and maintain wine balance and (at) a moderate alcohol level, always under 14%. The second later pick, which accounts for about 20% of the wine to capture the richness and power of the Michael Mara site. The Chardonnay grapes, the winery notes, were whole-cluster-pressed, settled for 24 hours, then barrel fermented. The fermentation of this wine also goes through a full 100% malolactic conversion in mainly older or neutral barrels and with a small percentage of new French oak each vintage. The Chardonnay was given close to 18 months of elevage in the wood, without topping or any sulfur added until bottling and no battonage was used, with Matthiasson adding that the wine rested on the lees undisturbed.
The Napa Valley based Steve Matthiasson says that his Michael Mara Vineyard Chardonnay is a wine borne from (his) blood, sweat, and tears, such was the struggles to plant this vineyard. He explains, that the dream of planting our own vineyard from scratch verged on nightmare as he and his team desperately tried to work with the rockiest soil he’d ever experienced in his 20 years of working in vineyards. The vineyard itself is located at the base of Sonoma Mountain, not far from Hanzell, in a cooler zone west of the town of Sonoma on a complex combination of soils with some volcanic influence, which adds to the mineral intensity. It almost put him out of business, he laments, though the rocks were finally surmounted and the vineyard produced. In an effort to recoup the heavy costs Matthiasson ended up having to mostly sell the grapes here to other wineries to cover the unanticipated expense of planting in these rocks. Lucky for us, he was able to hold a small amount of fruit back for themselves and he happily believes now this effort of planting a vineyard in such conditions was consummated by making this wine and, as I agree, It was clearly worth it. The rocky soil defines this wine, with Matthiasson stating that there is nothing else like it. The wine is 100 percent Chardonnay, clone 4, which Matthiasson says is the clone highest in natural acidity, at least that he is are aware of, and that shines through here, even though this shows a deep concentration and creamy textural quality. I first became aware of Matthiasson, thanks to writer Jon Bonné, the managing editor of Resy and formerly a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, who highlighted Steve, and made him the cover man of his book the New California Wine. Some of tasty other wines by Matthiasson include their lovely Rosé, an authentically rustic Napa Valley Cab Franc, a set of retrained Cabernet Sauvignons and a Semillon, to name a few that I would recommend checking out.
($58-85 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive