Philosophy

The Claret for Matthews has always filled the traditional role of a second selection wine in a winery with a flagship blend. Traditionally focused more on elegance than on structure, like the Red Wine. The Claret has always been a tremendous value for our customers. Showing clean ripe fruit and a much more modest oak program, the Matthews Claret leads a segment of value driven every day wines.

Growing Season

A relatively warm to hot year caused a small amount of concern for many of us looking at varietals ripening too quickly and not achieving developed flavor profiles. Luckily the weather cooled in September and October allowing the necessary hang time to develop optimal flavors. Should go down as one of the best vintages in recent memory judging from the wines.

Winemaking

The Claret is usually an easy wine to make, because the blend for the Red Wine is made first determining what the blend for the Claret is purely by elimination. The resulting wine was aged 20 months in neutral French and American oak, fined and sterile filtered before bottling.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes

A wine with color almost black at the center, filled with rich aromas of black currant, dark chocolate, brewed espresso and a slight creaminess. A thick wine without obtrusive tannins. A wine with volume and the traditional silky approachability of past Clarets, while at the same time taking the density up a notch. A Claret almost approaching the Estate Red Wine in weight.