2014 Castrucci Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyard Napa Valley 750 ml

Steve Matthiasson: Winemaker of the Year … On Speed-Dial

On January 5, 2014, Steve Matthiasson was named the San Francisco Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year. The Chronicle wrote: “If one person stands to rewrite the trajectory of California wine — in Napa’s luxurious heart, no less — it is Steve Matthiasson.”

Up and down the Silverado Trail, the same question was posed. What took the Chronicle so long?

Matthiasson has long been one of the most revered viticultural consultants in Napa Valley, with a star-studded client list that includes Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Araujo, Spottswoode, and Hall — a resumé in tune with those of Philippe Melka (Dana Estate, Bryant Family, and Hundred Acre) and Michel Rolland (Harlan, Bond, and Dalle Valle). While Steve is best known for the 95- to 100-point Cabernet Sauvignons he helps clients draw from world-renowned Napa Valley sites, he’s most passionate about the less traveled, more rugged, and fog-drenched soils of the southern edge of Napa Valley he farms with his wife Jill.

Matthiasson’s Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dead Fred Vineyard holds its own with more famous southern Napa Cab from the likes of Paul Hobbs, but at less than half the price — something not lost on the most revered sommeliers from the Bay Area to Manhattan.

We were introduced to Steve by Matt Licklider, co-proprietor of LIOCO. Ever since, we’ve kept Steve’s number on speed-dial. Every couple of months, we lobbed in a call, never forgetting our first encounter with Matthiasson’s Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon made from the southern edges of Napa Valley. Matthiasson was always solicitous, charming, and polite — even when breaking bad news. “Sorry, I don’t have a drop to spare,” we were told — no surprise, given how frequently Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and Jean-Georges on Central Park West feature Matthiasson’s Napa Valley reds and whites. “But don’t give up,” Steve added. “Keep calling. I promise I’ll find something for you down the road.”

The meticulously farmed Dead Fred Vineyard is situated in Napa’s southeastern volcanic valley in the Coombsville AVA. The harshness of the hot and dry site is tempered by the foggy mornings — the vines get a much-needed morning reprieve from the cool San Francisco Bay before the bright sun pops through and the daily struggle for water begins. The volcanic and rocky soil leads to structured wines with black fruit and minerality, but with a core of freshness from the cool mornings. The combination that so enchants Matthiasson — low-yielding soils, hot afternoons, and cool southwestern exposure — makes for one of the most stunning Cabernets of the superb 2014 vintage ... under $40, no less.

Matthiasson crafted this 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon under friend Dave Castrucci’s label and sourced it entirely from the heralded Dead Fred Vineyard in Coombsville. Opaque, purple-black to the rim, with a gorgeous bouquet of dried herbs, crushed flowers, and dark fruits. Smooth and expansive on the mid-palate, exuding ripe cherries and black currant, fastened by firm tannins and bright acidity, polished off by a touch of new wood. This Cabernet can be enjoyed now or laid to rest for another decade or longer.

Usually $60, today only $39.99, making this one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon under $40 we’ve come across this year. Shipping included on 4.