The Arsonist serves up the depth and richness you want in a big Chardonnay. This luscious blend of our best barrel lots of estate-grown fruit shows our house style of extreme balance of fruit and oak. Dense flavors of pear, mandarin and melon are layered over creamy butterscotch, brown sugar and barrel spice. The lingering finish is both crisp and unctuous.
The Matchbook Chardonnay signature style is a delicious balance of fruit and toasty oak. Aromas of apricot, butterscotch and honey are followed by stone fruit fruit flavors layered over luscious crème brûlée, vanilla, toasted oak and butter. There is a nice weight to the wine that leads to a long, lingering finish.
Enticing aromas of saddle leather, cigar box and mesquite. The mouth-coating flavors of blackberry, black cherry, clove and star anise linger in the long finish. This is a substantial Cabernet with big chewy tannins that will pair well with big-flavored fare.
Deep ruby color, this blend mingles red berry and leather aromas with hints of earthy Old World character; bright cherry flavors, cocoa powder and lush tannins.
The grapes were gently crushed and fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. 4 tons of our Syrah Noir clone was barrel fermented; another 6.5 tons was fermented in open-top micro bins to extract deep color and flavor. Native yeast was used on 75% of the ferments to add complexity and richness. Tanks were pumped over twice a day until nearly dry, then pressed and aged in oak barrels for 21 months. We like to use an assortment of French, European and American oak and only 22% new to avoid over-oaking. We blended in 9% Cabernet Sauvignon to give the wine depth, richness and improved structure.
The tempranillo and graciano vines grown in our Matchbook Vineyard in the Dunnigan Hills are from cuttings imported from the Pesquera region of Spain. While the traditional flavors of earth, leather and spice are evident from these old world varietals, Matchbook Tempranillo bears its California upbringing in the expansive aromas of black cherry and vanilla. Rich flavors of coffee and mocha mingle with fresh cranberry and rhubarb.