Top USA Bordeaux-style blends

Matthiasson, Napa Valley 2007

In his spare time, vineyard consultant Steve Matthiasson is creating a new style of Napa white, a mashup of Friuli and Bordeaux. But he’s also out to prove that Napa is still a place for nuanced reds. This has 45% Merlot from the alluvial Oak Knoll area, plus Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Subtle and perfumed, with plushness and charred wood accents, and a surprising tannic heft from what Matthiasson calls ‘Cab-like Merlot’. 18pts/20
Price: N/A UK matthiasson.com
Drink: 2012–2019
Alc: 14.5%