Wine of the week: Paul Mathew, 2022 Viognier, Russian River Valley

Mat Gustafson is an unabashed perfectionist: He doesn’t apologize for trying to get everything just right.

The winemaker is behind our wine of the week winner — the Paul Mathew, 2022 Viognier, Russian River Valley, 14.2%, $30, 4.5 stars. It’s a gorgeous viognier with pitch-perfect balance. Aromas of stone fruit — nectarine and peach — follow through to the palate and ride on crisp acidity. With great minerality and a kiss of honey on the finish, it’s striking.

Gustafson said being a perfectionist works in his favor because precision is what made this viognier show so well.

“I nailed the picking date to retain balance between richness, ripe flavors and the weight of the wine,” he said. “Getting the pick right is the most challenging part of making viognier so the wine has good balance. If you pick too ripe, the alcohol and weight of the wine can be too much. If you pick too early, the wine can be too simple.”

The vineyard, the winemaker said, also factored into this wine’s success. Campbell McKinney Vineyard is located at the northern end of the Russian River Valley appellation, on Westside Road. The well-drained soil is Yorkville-series loam with gravel. This east-facing vineyard, with 5% to 30% slopes and an elevation of 150 feet, gets plenty of sunshine and is great for growing northern Rhone varietals.

The boutique winery’s first vintage was in 1999 with a modest 300 cases of chardonnay. It gradually increased to a peak of 3,800 cases per year. Today the label is producing roughly 1,500 cases per year. Gustafson makes the wine, and his wife, Barb, sells it. The duo’s focus is on pinot noir, but their other varietals include syrah, cabernet franc, valdiguie, dolcetto, grenache, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, sparkling wine and, this year, muscat and sauvignon blanc.

With the viognier, Gustafson said, the style he was shooting for was a wine that’s easy to drink, has an appealing texture and pairs well with food.

The winemaker, now 65, has been making wine for 25 years. He graduated in 1978 from Northwood Institute in Michigan with an associate degree in hotel restaurant management.

Gustafson said that in 1999, he was at a crossroads. His options were to become a master sommelier or a winemaker.

“I thought if I became a sommelier, I’d just work for some big hotel and I wouldn’t be independent,” he said. “So I decided to start a wine label.”

What makes him a natural in crafting viognier, he said, is that he takes his time.

“I have the patience and knowledge of the process to do native yeast fermentation (rather than adding yeasts). I also pay close attention to detail. I know when to take action and when it’s best to leave it alone.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.