Matthiasson, Napa Valley Red Wine, California, USA, 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’.