The 2021 Matthews Cabernet Sauvignon is my idea of the perfect domestic Cab. With Napa Valley-like ripeness paired with a Bordeaux-like savory edge, this is elegant, complex, and a total joy to drink.
Wine Spectator, Jeb Dunnuck, and Vinous Media all rated this 93 points back in 2024 when the vintage was first released. I think that was an accurate read on the wine... back then. But after a couple of years in bottle, I think this has morphed into a 95-96 pointer for my palate.
I took immediate notice when it was announced in early 2021 that a couple of the highly talented winemakers from Washington's Quilceda Creek would be joining the team at Matthews Winery. Quilceda Creek is Washington's #1 Cabernet Sauvignon producer, and wines don't make themselves, so I was excited to see what winemakers Alex Stewart and Hal Iverson would do once they took over at Matthews.
I'm here to say great things have happened at Matthews Winery since this dynamic duo took over. The wines were good before, but now they're exceptional, and their 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a modern classic from the Columbia Valley. Composed entirely of estate-grown fruit from Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and the Royal Slope, it is harmonious and incredibly satisfying.
Drinking like a Cab that would typically cost you $75+, it smells of dark plum, currant, blackberry, cocoa nib, graphite, cedar, and dusty herbs. Rich and full-bodied, the palate is super classy, poised, and beautifully balanced with ripe tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, and a long and fulfilling finish.
Drinking great now, this will continue to get better over the next 5 to 7 years.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
