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Matthews Releases First Wines Crafted by New Winemaking Team

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Published
12/24/2023 by

Matthews, a family-owned winery focused on expressing the purity of the Columbia Valley, has released its first wines under the new winemaking team, which joined in the spring of 2021. The releases include the 2021 Columbia Valley Cuvée, Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon and 2022 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

For the past decade, the Matthews team has been on an incredible journey. The family put every aspect of the operation under review, from the vineyards to farming to winemaking. The new release wines are the result of this uncompromising focus.

"My family has a relentless obsession to showcase the pure expression of the Columbia Valley," said Bryan Otis, Proprietor of Matthews. "We are from Washington, born and raised, and know there is a level of greatness that can be unlocked in the Columbia Valley. We are determined to realize its full potential. The 2021 vintage marks a new beginning for Matthews toward this goal."

A critical step in the Matthews journey was bringing on three of the most recognized and acclaimed winemakers in Washington state – Head Winemaker Alex Stewart, along with Hal Iverson and Jesse Schmidt. Together, they have crafted more 100-point Cabernet Sauvignon wines than all other wineries in the state combined.

"We are so proud of the wines from the 2021 vintage. They have great richness and textural depth and are quite different than any wines Matthews has previously produced," said Head Winemaker Alex Stewart. "We were given the opportunity to completely re-imagine the winemaking at Matthews. We tightened up the vineyard sourcing and farming practices and dramatically changed how the wines are being made. The stars aligned for the 2021 vintage, as well as the stellar 2022 and 2023 that we are working on now. We hope these releases represent a new benchmark for the Columbia Valley."

The new release wines include:

  • Matthews Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 - $50
  • Matthews Columbia Valley Cuvée 2021 - $55
  • Matthews Columbia Valley Claret 2021 - $55
  • Matthews Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 - $39

Beginning in February of 2024, Matthews will release its Columbia Valley Reserve red wines, which will be available in key markets across the U.S. for the first time. In previous years, these wines have only been available from the tasting room and wine club. The Reserve tier prices range from $75 to $195.

Matthews wines are distributed nationally and available through Winebow or Republic National Distributing Company.

"The work we have done as a team to overhaul our winemaking process has given my family a renewed sense of wonder for what is possible with our wines and vineyards across the Columbia Valley," said Bryan Otis. "While just one of the enhancements we've made would result in notably more compelling wines — we feel the sum of the changes, beginning with the 2021 vintage, has created a completely new flavor profile and experience for every Matthews wine."

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