Matthiasson 2018 Tendu Cortese 750ml

Tendu is French for taut, and one of the ranges of wines from California low intervention innovators Matthiasson family. Jill and Steve have propelled the less-is-more movement throughout the state, and are beacons of new California cool. This short bottle, for instance, illustrates perfectly. In a move to be more environmentally conscious, Jill and Steve Matthiasson chose American-made bottles finished with glue-free compostable/recyclable corks. This cortese, rarely seen in Cali but native to Piemonte, is from the deep clay loam soils of the Lost Slough Vineyard, located in the southernmost part of Clarksburg. After a native ferment in neutral oak, this went through full MLF, so the wine could be bottled unfiltered (a Matthiasson principle). Tight and nimble, with white peach, starfruit, lemon peel streaking across a slight (12 degree) palate driven by minerality. River rocks and heavy salts lure on the juicy finish. I wish more Piemontese and Californians would do this.

Score: 92 points -- Treve Ring, Gismondi On Wine, Aug 2019