The story of Woodinville, Washington’s Matthews Winery is a fascinating tale of growth, decline, renewal, family and some damn good wines!
Matthews Winery was founded in 1992 as one of the very first wineries in Woodinville, the Seattle suburb that now hosts over 100 winery tasting rooms, and it has become a favourite place for us to visit. The winery started initially making Bordeaux blends, and garnered a favourable reputation in the process. But a decade later focus had started to shift; the portfolio of wines expanded to include non-Bordeaux varieties such as Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir and even Viognier Ice Wine. When the winery took their eye off of the Bordeaux ball, the reputation for quality that they had worked so hard to build began to slip. And then financial hard times beset the winery and a financial partner needed to be brought in.
Fortunately for the winery, they did not have to look far for that partner. Right there in Woodinville lived a very savvy businessman named Cliff Otis. Otis is the head of Intand Corporation, maker of the Tandem electronic calendar which allows schools and other organizations to coordinate schedules within large groups. The opportunity came through Cliff’s son Bryan who is a sommelier, is passionate about wine and had been working at Matthews. What started out as a passive investment quickly turned into a very active investment with the Otis family buying out the rest of the partners in 2012 and taking over the day-to-day management. Eventually, the whole Otis family came to work at Matthews, in one form or other making it truly a family winery.
With the Otis family at the helm, the decision was quickly made to return to the winery’s roots of working just with Bordeaux varieties. Aryn Morell was hired as winemaker starting with the 2007 vintage. Morell has a background working at some of the biggest and best names in the Napa Valley: Joseph Phelps, Quintessa, Chappellet, and Vineyard 29 to name a few. Bryan tells how things became critical when they first took over as a number of vineyards had stopped selling Matthews grapes due to concerns about payment. They had contracted only 5 tons when they actually needed 50 tons! The team then hit the road, checkbook in hand, driving out to Walla Walla to meet with growers directly and assure them of payment. Now Matthews regularly gets grapes from some of Washington’s best known vineyards: Weinbau, Sagemoor and Stillwater Creek. These vineyards, along with 10 other sources, are happy to offer the Otis family some of their best blocks of grapes.
Fast forward to today and the ship has been righted and is sailing on a course to making some of Washington’s finest wines from Bordeaux varieties. Critics have been heaping praise on these wines and giving out plenty of 90+ point scores, including 95 points for their 2013 Reserve, the highest score the winery has received on a Bordeaux-style blend yet.
Bryan Otis explained a bit of the family philosophy to us. For Bryan and his family, it is more than just about making great wine. It is about making great wine experiences. And so they have converted the former Woodinville winery into a tasting room. It is bright, airy and comfortable fashioned after a French farm house in keeping with the winery’s commitment to its Bordeaux heritage. It has just the vibe you want in a tasting room: beautiful surroundings that still let you feel comfortable being there in jeans and a tee shirt.
In addition to the tasting room there is a large, outside area among the trees ideal for enjoying a glass as you listen to the small creek gently splash down the hill. Of course the wine experience is always enhanced when food is also present. The tasting room can quickly be converted into a dining room or event hall and can be rented out to the general public. In a separate post we will tell you about a positively magical dinner we attended put on by the winery at their tasting room.
Great food of course begins with great ingredients and in 2015 the winery planted an ecological produce garden covering a half acre adjacent to the winery to supply events as well as selling to local customers. Creekside Farm is managed by local farmer Alex Meizlish and is the first commercial garden associated with a winery property in Woodinville. Matthews has taken their pioneering ways one step further by partnering with other businesses to create a community supported agriculture (CSA) program that is the first of its kind in the area. Subscribers receive a custom box of fresh flowers, produce, bread, cheese, and eggs along with hand-selected wines from the winery that often includes older vintages.
That wine experience can be topped off for travelers by the B&B they run just up the hill from the tasting room. It is a gorgeous 2 bedroom home with a spectacular kitchen, spacious living room, in-home theatre, a lovely covered deck and beautifully appointed bedrooms. The “Merlot” room is on the main floor and features a king sized bed, double vanity bathroom plus large shower that includes steam capability. The “Syrah” room is the smaller upstairs room but still very comfortable with a king-sized bed and full bathroom.
Enjoying it all together truly made for an amazing wine experience. We tasted through their line-up which also includes the wines of Tenor, their micro-production winery dedicated to making single varietal wines from Bordeaux varieties. Below are our tasting notes that show this winery has been taken to new heights and should be watched by anyone with an eye for seriously delicious wine.
Tasting Notes
2015 Sauvignon Blanc
Medium gold in colour. Citrus aromas combine with grapefruit on the nose. The medium plus body comes across as textured and gives power to the grassy flavours and lets you know you are drinking a serious wine. Nice acidity on the finish adds balance and length. A terrific example of this variety at a quality level we don’t often encounter in the New World.
Excellent (US$25 at the winery)
2013 Tenor Sauvignon Blanc
Tenor is Bryan Otis’ project done in conjunction with winemaker Aryn Morell that uses no blends, just 100% varietal wines. This wine is cold soaked and then macerates on the skins for 24 hours. Medium green/gold in colour. The nose is similar to the Matthews Sauvignon Blanc but here all the dials are turned way up! In fact we noticed it had a bit of a Marsanne-like quality but the green apple and spice notes combined with minerals and wet grass assured you this was Sauvignon. This wine is very complex, a feature that is no doubt going to increase as it ages. A hint of vanilla on the finish tells you about its elevation in oak. Terrific flavour and a long, persistent finish.
Excellent+ (US$48 at the winery)
2014 Tenor Chardonnay
This wine is raised in 100% new French oak, but the fruit carries it just as it should so it comes across in no way as “oaky”. Honeydew melon, apple and hints of citrus are delivered with strength and are balanced by a juicy acidity that gives a nice angularity to its finish.
Very Good+ (US$ 48 at the winery)
2012 Claret
Dark red colour. Beautiful nose gives up spicy currants and black cherries. This wine will definitely improve in the cellar and has the tannins to take it the distance. There is a wonderful richness to the mouthfeel which marries well with the medium + acidity. With some air we pick up baking spice hints along with plums. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec. Fermented in a combination of concrete and stainless steel and then left to age in French oak for 18 months.
Very good/Excellent (US$35 at the winery)
2013 Claret
Taking things up a notch is 2013 Claret. Like its older brother this wine has broad shoulders and delivers its black fruit-driven character with power. But in this vintage the brute strength is just a bit more elegant. Drinkers looking for impact and ageabilty will probably prefer the 2012, those looking for a bit more finesse will probably prefer the 2013. Already complex, it shows spice and minerals along with the black cherry and plum fruit profile. Terrific mouthfeel. The 2012 will impress you and the 2013 will seduce you.
Excellent (US$35 at the winery)
2012 Tenor 2:2
“Two of two” is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. This full throttle wine is very structured and mouth-filling and a thrilling roller coaster ride of a wine! Plum, black cherry, tobacco dominate and get supporting notes of floral accents. Each sip brings out a new accent. Beautifully textured it is mouthfilling the fruit, tannin and spice notes all co-exist in precise balance . This wine truly showcases just how well Washington State can do Merlot. A serious wine, this is one that will definitely reward cellaring. How is it that we had not even heard of this wine before? Probably the best wine in their very fine line up.
Excellent + (US$55 at the winery – very good value for this quality level)
2012 Tenor 1:1
“One of one” is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. As is often the case with Washington wines, the Merlot produces a bigger wine than the Cabernet and this is the case here. Still big and tannic, though not quite as much so as 2:2, this is the wine to enjoy while you are waiting for your 2:2s to come around. Power and elegance combine to deliver a blackberry and black cherry driven profile with hints of forest in the background.
Excellent (US$55 at the winery)
2013 Tenor Syrah
Sourced from Stillwater and Lawrence Vineyards, this wine was raised in 500 litre puncheons. This wine is right on track with the great Syrahs of the state that are getting the critics attention and the big scores. Blackberry, blueberry, pepper and spices weave together and form a delicious blend of flavours. The texture is viscous, soft and inviting and possesses an almost creamy feel. On the long finish we pick up hints of road tar and a slight minerality. Dense and full this wine can deliver impact without being a show off. Already complex this has many years of good drinking in front of it.
Excellent+ (US$58 at the winery)
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