Mathew Bruno Wines. When it comes to wine, perhaps founder Mathew Bruno has an advantage of heritage. His Italian-born grandfather and great grandfather used to grow grapes and make home wine in their root cellar. Food and wine played a large role in his family’s daily life. His grandmother was an excellent cook and Mathew wistfully recalls visiting her with his parents on the weekends – relaxing times centered around food and wine. Even at a young age he noticed how food and wine brought his family together.
Mathew’s father Matt Bruno founded Turlock Dairy and Refrigeration in 1972 by merging two existing companies together (Turlock Refrigeration Center with Turlock-based Miller Dairy Supply). Their initial focus was on servicing the dairy industry and providing refrigeration equipment. As the dairy business evolved into larger scale productions, so did Turlock Dairy and Refrigeration; they now provide dairy design and ag construction services including installation of dairy equipment. And eventually the company changed its name – today it is TDR Inc. Today both Mathew and his brother Tony oversee the company’s operations. We initially met with Mathew at their company headquarters in Turlock.
Mathew grew up in Modesto and attended college in San Luis Obispo at California Polytechnic State University. Driving back and forth to San Luis Obispo from the Central Valley he would often pass a number of vineyards, admiring their beauty but not quite yet ready to make wine. That came a number of years later in 2008 when he decided to make home wine as he puts it, “to learn the process and see if it would be something I was interested in” – he was, and quickly caught the wine bug. The first wine he made, he harvested the grapes himself from a vineyard in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District.
Sometimes things fall in place when you least expect them to do so. Such is the case when Mathew decided he wanted to take his interest in home wine making to the next level. While searching through grape brokerage listing and reviewing brokers that would connect him with specific vineyard sources he immediately recognized the photo of one of the brokers.
This was a picture of Stephens Moody, someone Mathew first met in Junior High School. They were in the same grade and both graduated from the same high school. It had been at least 15 years since they last communicated. Mathew soon called Stephens and voiced his interest in wanting to purchase grapes from Napa Valley with the intent of making wine and starting a winery.
Stephen told him to call back in a few months (perhaps to truly gauge Mathew’s interest). Mathew did so and asked Stephens if he could recommend some winemakers. Stephen’s answer was something like “you know most of the winemakers are really busy, why don’t I make your wine for you”. Mathew had no idea that Stephens was a winemaker but was soon impressed after Stephens emailed him his resume.
Stephens has a family background in wine making; he ‘grew up’ on Petri Winery in Escalon, where his father, Ed, was a winemaker for Italian Swiss Colony. He worked for a barrel cooper for several years, was a winemaker at Bronco Wine Company, made wine in Argentina and also for Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards (where unlike at Bronco which focused on quantity production, at Sonoma-Cutrer he was focused on much smaller production more terroir driven wines from the Russian River Valley).
And when Mathew was looking for a winemaker, Stephens’ girlfriend at the time (now his wife) was Dr. Nichola Hall who has significant experience with Fermentation Science. Stephens has made every vintage since their inaugural 2009 release; Dr. Hall consults as needed during harvest and with fermentation.
Today their production is around 1,000 cases annually. At the time of our latest update to this review, they produce several 100% single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines, a sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a Grenache based rosé, sourced from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County.
Stephen helps find the vineyard sources for their wines. They have worked with the George III Vineyard since their inaugural release. This is one of grower Andy Beckstoffer’s six heritage Vineyards (the top vineyards in his Napa Valley portfolio). George III was originally planted in 1895, at one point was owned by Beaulieu Vineyards and was called at the time, Beaulieu Vineyard Number 3. When your first vintage is made from grapes from a vineyard of this pedigree, one certainly sets the bar high.
Their label was designed by iconic label creator, Chuck House of Icon Design Group whose works include labels for Alpha Omega, Buena Vista, Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars among numerous others. The purplish/redish color used on the vintage date on their bottlings was inspired by a rock that Mathew picked up of a similar color in Beckstoffer’s Georges III Vineyard.
Select Wines
Whites/Rosé
Mathew Bruno produced their inaugural sparkling wine in 2020, a Chardonnay blanc de blanc from vineyards on the Napa side of Carneros. It was produced using Méthode Champenoise. This wine is medium yellow in color; the aromatics are immediately inviting including of apple, pear, and lemon juice. It is bright and crisp across the palate, accompanied by a light creamy texture. This wine lingers with a light citrus flavor on the finish. We noted the word balance several times to describe its overall character.
The 2021 Mathew Bruno Rosé of Grenache was sourced from Dry Creek Valley in neighboring Sonoma County and was fermented entirely in stainless steel tanks. This wine is dark salmon and pinkish in color. The bouquet is initially a bit shy but as it opens, it reveals delicate aromas of raspberry, watermelon jolly rancher, watermelon pith and rose petals. An initial hint of cinnamon stick spice shows on the palate along with flavors of cran-apple, ruby grapefruit and other accompanying citrus flavors. This is a very balanced bottling with both a rounded texture, richness of flavor and bright acidity. It lingers with some subtle notes of white wild strawberries. Very refreshing.
Unlike the prior vintage of rosé which was 100% varietal Grenache, the 2022 Mathew Bruno Rosé is strongly led by Grenache but also is blended with small amounts of Primitivo and Petite Syrah. Like the 2021 vintage, the grapes for this wine were sourced from Dry Creek Valley in neighboring Sonoma County. Its color is a light salmon pinkish/copper; the bouquet offers aromas of rain falling on dry ground after months of no precipitation (petrichor), crushed rocks, raspberry, wild strawberry, watermelon, a hint of cotton candy and a citrus note including lemon/lime. This wine is very flavorful (no lightly styled rosé here) with some minerality notes, raspberry, strawberry, and grapefruit. It sports a long and satisfying finish. We have been impressed with the few bottlings we have tried of the Mathew Bruno rosé to date.
The 2019 Mathew Bruno Chardonnay was sourced from two neighboring vineyards on the Napa side of Carneros; the Baldacci Winery owned Honey B Vineyard and Beckstoffer’s Carneros Lake Vineyard. Both vineyard lots were picked, fermented and then aged separately before being blending prior to bottling. This wine went through full malolactic fermentation and was aged for 9 months in in 75% American oak and 25% French oak barrels. It is medium to dark gold in the glass; the aromatics are attractive and offer scents of honeycomb, ripe mango, crème Brule, vanilla, assorted baking spices and sweetly fruited stone fruits including peach and yellow nectarine. This wine’s texture is immediately noticeable – it is rounded with a supple feel that is steadied by the wine’s bright acidity. The palate offers flavors of melon and lingers with notes of citrus. Despite going through full malolactic fermentation, this wine does not venture into the ‘territory’ of buttery Chardonnay bottlings.
The 2019 Mathew Bruno Sauvignon Blanc Yountville, Napa Valley was sourced from the historic Hoxey family-owned Block House Vineyard, named in homage the site of the blockhouse built by George Yount (the namesake for Yountville). This wine is medium gold in color; the bouquet is a bit shy and needed some vigorous swirling in the glass and time before it fully opened. It offers pretty floral aromas of honeysuckle and as it breathes, citrus blossom. Deep in the bouquet is a very subtle note of dried herbs; we noted oregano. It’s not a green nor grassy bottling either on the bouquet or the palate. Its texture is noteworthy, offering a supply and lightly creamy feel across the palate with flavors of melon, lemon juice, grapefruit and a bright citrus filled finish. This wine was entirely fermented in stainless steel tanks.
The 2016 Mathew Bruno Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel tanks; it initially shows notes of lemon/lime on the bouquet and is somewhat floral at times with citrus blossom and hints of cinnamon. As it opens it becomes more tropical in its aromatic presentation. The palate offers a good balance between weight, flavor and acidity. There are hints of honey with some mineral components; some of the citrus notes from the bouquet also show in the flavors. Sports a clean long-lasting finish that is nicely balanced between citrus and tropical notes.
Reds
The 2021 Mathew Bruno Sunchase Vineyard (Petaluma Gap, Sonoma County) Pinot Noir is medium ruby in color; it’s aromatics are wide open and highly expressive offering scents of red plum, spicy plum skin, violets, white pepper, rose petals and a very subtle mint leaf found deeper in the bouquet. The palate offers flavors of primarily red fruits including plum, currant and cranberry but without any overt tartness of acidity. The tannins show more in the front of the palate and persist for some time on the long and savory finish. If we were to categorize a Pinot Noir for Cabernet sauvignon enthusiasts, this would be likely candidate. The winemaking team sampled grapes from eight Pinot Noir Vineyards before making their final decision to source from the Sunchase Vineyard, in part attracted to its elevation and increased sun exposure above the marine layer so common to this part of Sonoma County.
The 2021 Matthew Bruno R.S.V.P Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Napa Valley is deep ruby and nearly opaque; its breath is a fully ripe expression of dark fruits accompanied by plenty of barrel influence. These scents include blackberry, dark cherry, Satsuma plum and mulberry with dark chocolate, coffee grinds, smoked cedar and assorted baking spices including cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. This wine tastes like dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry. Like on the bouquet, the influence of oak is also prominent, especially noticeable on the finish. These flavors include roasted herbs, toasted cedar, toasty oak, pipe tobacco, dried bay leaf and a persistent dusty character. The tannins are grainy with a light to moderate gravelly grip felt more on the front of the palate than the rear. Brightly lit from lively acidity.
Beckstoffer George III Vineyard, Rutherford
The 2016 Mathew Bruno Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Beckstoffer owned Georges III Vineyard within Rutherford and only a few minutes drive from the tasting room. They have worked with this particular vineyard since their first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2009. Regardless of the vintage, this wine is always held back several years after bottling. The 2016 was their current release at the time of our tasting 7 years post vintage. This wine was bottled for 22 months in 100% new oak barrels of which 50% was French and 50% American. Two lots from the same vineyard were picked, fermented and then aged separate from each other until just prior to bottling. This wine is deep ruby in color; the first words we wrote to describe its character was it smells and tasted like Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose offers light aromas of green pepper along with tonka bean, sage, dried tobacco, a kiss of mocha and chocolate along with dark plum and blackberry. One can feel the density of tannins but they are rounded, fine-grained and well integrated on the finish. This wine lingers, juicy and mouthwatering with lively acidity, concentrated flavors of red cherry and red plum, dried herbs, a light woodsy spice and a dusty nuance. This wine is showing very well at the time of our tasting but has plenty of years ahead of it with proper cellaring.
The 2012 Mathew Bruno Cabernet Sauvignon shows an elegant bouquet framed by dark fruit aromas including blackberry. More subtle but still noticeable are cigar box aromas, notes of cedar and a spicy plum nuance. Superbly balanced for a fairly young wine. We love the texture of how this wine feels on the palate. The dusty tannins are noticeable but harmonious, finishing softly with a hint of mocha.
Other premium Napa vineyards they source grapes from include Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak and To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville.
Mathew Bruno’s philosophy is to make balanced, distinctive and approachable wines. Their business has been built upon sourcing grapes from premier sites in both Napa Valley and neighboring Sonoma County. But look for an estate bottling in the future; in 2022 Mathew Bruno purchased a 5 acre site of Cabernet Sauvignon from vintner Clark Swanson (previously of Swanson Vineyards). This parcel is now called The Only Numbers Vineyard and is located along Money Road in Oakville.
Tasting Salon, Rutherford
After renovation
Before renovation
Both the interior and the exterior of the house were thoughtfully and carefully renovated down to the tiniest of details. This was not a quick remodel as it lasted for approximately three years. And it clearly shows. Modesto based interior designer, Chris Reed (who the Bruno’s have worked with before) oversaw the layout and furnishings of the space. The windows and front door are original to the house. One noticeable space is their tiny library room containing vintages back to their first wine in 2009. The floor here is partially glass so one can look down onto a stone basement area below the main floor.
One cannot miss seeing this space due to the two tall Canary Palm Trees which were brought in from San Diego. Prior to renovation, the old house had a front porch, but this was extended to wrap around most of the home. The exterior features several tasting spaces, ancient olive trees dating back to the 1870s and 1880s brought in from an olive grove in California’s olive capital, Corning, a bocce court and a lavender garden. The vineyard on the south side of the property, which also borders the neighboring La Luna Market is Star Vineyard. This 68-acre vineyard is owned by El Molino Winery located north of St. Helena and provides their rare for Rutherford, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The nearly 1,600 square foot house that is home to Matthew Bruno was purchased in early 1993 by Reg and Marie Oliver, the same family that still owns El Molino Winery. After their purchase they also restored the old home.
Several tasting experiences are offered including the Estate Tasting, featuring current release wines, the Reserve Tasting, featuring current release wines with a curated cheese and charcuterie and the ultimate Mathew Bruno experience, the Bocce Experience, featuring a their wines paired with a lunch and the bocce court located to the rear of the home. And this has been the only tasting room to date we have visited in Napa Valley which uses the elegant Josephinenhütte stemware. We are highly familiar with this brand as we conduct all our evaluative tastings at home using their wine glasses.
Exterior
Interior
The wines are sold direct and are selectively distributed including placement at a number of restaurants in Modesto, Turlock and Escalon in the Central Valley. In addition, the wines are at Gary Danko in San Francisco, and we have seen select bottlings in the Wine Stations at the Oakville Grocery, Gary’s Wine in St. Helena, neighboring Rutherford Grill and at RH Kitchen in Yountville. The various levels of their wine club are named after immediate family members. For more information, to purchase wine or to schedule a tasting, visit: www.mathewbruno.com
MG+CO (Michael Guthrie + Company) Architects designed the Mathew Bruno Tasting Room on Rutherford Cross Rd.
Thanks for the note Michael. We will update our notes here once we have a chance to visit the space as soon as it is ready and will also taste current release wines at that time.