Selections
Paul Mathew is the product of young and red hot winemaker Mat Gustafson’s philosophy on techniques (“anti”-techniques!?) that truly allow the quality of grapes from any given harvest and specific vineyard site to naturally express themselves and their origin. It is also the culmination of his adoration of and commitment to Sonoma and the Russian River Valley where he is able to explore and perfect that which he loves in the wines of Burgundy and the Rhone. Paul Mathew Vineyards is committed to low input winemaking using indigenous yeast and Malolactic bacteria. This winemaking style produces wine lush on the palate with seamless flavors. This process is much slower and more time consuming than traditional commercial winemaking. Low input winemaking showcases the fruit and the site.
In overseeing a monstrous wine program of 2000 bottles at the Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado, Mat certainly had his fair share of exposure to wines of the highest caliber and esteem. Following his graduation from the University of Colorado, and after heading to the Napa Valley to work for Joseph Phelps, he took a position as Wine Buyer and Sommelier at John Ash & Co. in Santa Rosa. In tasting a ’75 Russian River Valley Pinot, it is there that he bought into what American winemaking could achieve given the right champion to drive it. His stint with Oakville Ranch Winery and the ensuing Vineyard Development/Management business that he initiated led him to Joe Dutton’s embedded Sonoma network of people of prominence and place. These introductions and instant “ins” brought him to his eventual home as winemaker for the Sebastopol-Dutton Estate Winery (briefly under the esteemed enologist Merry Edwards, the winery’s former consultant). Today, Mat is clearly moving to the forefront of the trends in superb winemaking and in being in the supreme mix of those who have access to the best sites in the area, without fail.
Paul Mathew “Green Valley”, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2003
Download tech sheet in PDF format
The Stats:
Winemaker:
- Mat Gustafson
Production:
- 264 cases
Vineyard Sourcing / Clones:
- Mat Keller Vineyard (72%) / Dijon 115 on 101-14 rootstock
- Dutton-Thomas Road Vineyard (19%) / Dijon 114, 115, 667, 777
- Carl Meyers Vineyard (Taylor Lane) (9%) / Dijon 114, 115, 667, 777
Barrel Aging:
- 11 months 100% French Oak (55% New)
The Score From the ‘Door:
This wine is all about finesse and ease, allowing the natural elements of winemaking to magically take over and maximize the expression of Pinot Noir fruit from this extremely underrated and obviously, optimal climate within the Russian River Valley of Sonoma. Fittingly, the wine is approachable and a massive crowd pleaser as its maker is all too familiar with what people are looking for in Pinot Noir having been the Sommelier for years at the highly regarded (and awarded) Flagstaff House Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. With this vintage (and certainly in those to follow), Mat turns out the epitome of what drinkable California Pinot should be as the wine exhibits a graceful balance of pretty and soft red fruits, coupled with floral expressions of rose and lavender and backed by tons of exotic spice and structural vibrancy. This being his personal label, the intention is to keep the production low, the winemaking real and the quality high.
