Matthiasson, Vermouth No 5 (37.5cl)

First off, this vermouth is primarily about the wine — the base wine before the herbs, spices, and fruit exracts are added. The wine is mainly a rare variety named Flora, which was bred at UC Davis by the legendary Harold Olmo back in the 1950’s. Flora is a natural cross between Semillon and Gewurtztraminer. Though Olmo isn’t with us any more to confirm our theory, our conviction is that he bred it specifically for fortified wines. The California industry moved away from these types of wines by the 1960’s and Flora fell into obscurity. When we heard that Flora still existed in the organically farmed Yount Mill Vineyard we immediately begged for some fruit. This fruit is a rare exception for us — normally we try to grow all of our own fruit for our wines — but the temptation to make wine from this rare and historical variety was too much to resist.

For the Vermouth No. 5 we also used a small amount of Muscat of Alexandria and a small amount of Viognier, both of which were harvested as raisins and aged in barrel for five years. Batch No. 5 is a non-vintage blend of the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages. The older wine gives the dried fruit and spicy-nutty flavors, and the younger wine is more vibrant with fresh fruits. This is only our fifth batch in the 11 years since our first release. The barrels for aging are a mix of French Oak that previously held our white wines, and 25-year-old Cognac barrels. Each year the fruit was picked very late, with some botrytis and raisins at harvest. On top of the naturally high sugar, the must was sweetened further by chaptalizing with a mix of organic white and brown cane sugar, to around 45 brix. The grapes were fermented whole cluster (skins and stems) in open-top fermenters with manual punch downs twice a day. We let the fermentation stop naturally, with 120-170 grams per liter of residual sugar remaining due to the high brix when the grapes were crushed, and pressed the wine into partially full used barrels. We added no sulfites during elevage and didn’t top, instead allowing the wine to slowly oxidize and
develop the wonderful nutty and dried fruit flavors. To complement the natural grape aromas of the Flora we made infusions of our own home-grown blood oranges and sour cherries, along with coriander seed that we purchased. The infusions were made in a base of high-proof neutral grape spirits. The bittering was mainly done by adding an infusion of our own home-grown cardoons and wormwood (grown at our winery), but we also purchased chinchona bark and blessed thistle to infuse for a little more complexity. The infusions were added into the wine right before bottling. The wine was bottled unfiltered. 336 cases of half bottles produced. 17.0% ABV.

The Napa-based husband and wife team of Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson met twenty years ago through their shared work in sustainable agriculture, a partnership that has resulted in some of the most fascinating, fresh, and diverse wines made in California today. Steve's career evolved behind the scenes as a vineyard consultant for high profile Napa wineries like Stag's Leap, Spottswoode, and Araujo. Jon Bonne, wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and vocal champion of Matthiasson's wines, notes that 'when a vintner wants more flavor at lower sugar levels, Matthiasson is the one on speed dial. And he has achieved that while evangelizing for a reversal of the past two decades' trend toward overly ripe flavors and high alcohols.' The Matthiassons' vivid renditions of ubiquitous varieties like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon provide an appealing introduction to their poised and textured house style. Their impeccably farmed organic vineyards, luscious, complicated White Wine, and pure, focused Refosco (that Steve grafted over 3 rows of Merlot in their home vineyard following a eye-opening trip to Friuli) exemplify the high standards and spirit of adventure that California is becoming known for among engaged and eco-conscious wine drinkers.