Mattucci Winery

How it all began - Scenario I-
It started with a familiy vineyard which made my relatives in Italy very happy
because they always wanted a vineyard but didn't want to pay for one! Making
wine is a lot like gourmet cooking: if you have a modicum of success with simple
recipes,techniques and ingredients, you gain confidence to try more complicated
dishes.

I spent a year studying viticulture and enology. I am a self-taught winemaker, but
strive to create a wine that is balanced and harmonious. To do that right you need
to experiment and define your winemaking style. You also need quality fruit and
oak barrels!

In this adventure I also learned that I am a better winemaker that grape grower.
A small family vineyard cannot support the best of many different varietals.
Instead I have set my sights on sourcing the best quality fruit. I have always
fermented in small lots using a varied yeast program in an effort to draw out the
taste,mouth - feel, and finish in each varietal.

How it all began - Scenario II-
It's all HER fault - my wife! After a successfull stint growing tomatoes in the
backyard, my wife bought me two books: "From Vines to Wines" and a small
winery manual. So she planted the cutting and left it me.

Anyway, since my wine bill is second only to my mortgage I figured, why not! The
process found the old joke to ring true - How do you make a small fortune in the
wine business? Start with a large one!

Making wines mainly from Bordeaux and California varietals with a slight Italian
slant with regard to the blending, I am striving to build wines that have a
beginning, a middle, and an end. The wines are never rushed to bottling or
market and the goal is to create wines that will age well. Typically, the wines
will spend 15 months to two years in oak with a bottle age of another one to two
years. So while the wines are approachable when young, they are crafted for
a four to five year maturity to begin their peak.