The official name of this grape variety is "Refosco dal Penduncolo Rosso" and it is said to be an indigenous variety common to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy and neighboring Slovenia. In fact, the grape variety known as "Refosco" in the United States until recently was proven to be a completely different grape variety called "Mondeuse" by DNA testing. Mathiasson's "Refosco" is a genuine "Refosco" that uses grafted branches of "Refosco dal Penduncolo Rosso" officially imported from Italy in the late 1990s. This "Refosco" has a long history, and the name of the variety was listed on the menu of a dinner party held by Pope Gregory XII in 1409. It is also said that "Refosco" is a grape variety with the same genetic background as Syrah and Pinot Noir. This wine is characterized by a balance of fruitiness and earthiness, and soft tannins, making it a happy drink. Planted in 1996 and grafted onto old Merlot vines in 2008, Western Oak Knoll's own Mathiason Vineyard in southern Napa Valley has a foggy, windy, maritime climate. Surrounded by fruit trees, wildflowers and wildflowers, the vineyard maintains a natural ecosystem, and is filled with the sounds of children, coyotes, owls and the buzzing of bees all year round. The grapes are destemmed, pressed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks. Punchdown and pumpover are done by hand. The vines are left to rest for 16 days after skin contact.
The wine was pressed after pressing and aged for 11 months in old Burgundy oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. Owner and winemaker Steve Mathiasson is one of the leading vineyard consultants in Napa Valley. His clients include Eisley, Chappellet, Spottswoode, and others, and he is known for his well-balanced grape growing. Mathiasson is a small winery run entirely by his family. Steve's white wines are modeled after those of the Friuli region of Italy, and his red wines are mainly Bordeaux-style. He is a hands-on winemaker from the fields (on-site), and he does all the work in the fields himself as much as possible. Steve also likes to harvest 3 to 4 weeks earlier than usual, which is an important factor in determining the taste of the wine, and has surprised the entire California wine industry. In 2014, he was selected as "Winemaker of the Year" by the San Francisco Chronicle, a leading American newspaper, and is a talented young winemaker with a promising future. For Steve Mathiasson, making wine is merely an extension of working in the fields. The grapes used for Mathiasson come from fields in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, and Steve personally manages the cultivation of all of them throughout the growing season. Steve is a specialist in reflecting the inherent characteristics and aromas of grape varieties in wine. He is good at not only ubiquitous Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also varieties that are not often seen in Napa Valley, such as Ribolla Gialla and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. Whatever the variety, his job is simply to reflect the characteristics of the soil and variety in the wine. The characteristics of Mathiasson's wine are a refreshing taste that is intended to be paired with food, and a lower alcohol content than regular California wines. By using the best cultivation methods for each field, he is able to grow grapes with a sense of concentration, and by suppressing his desire for self-expression as a winemaker and respecting the individuality of the grapes, he is able to create well-balanced wines wrapped in aromatic fragrances. He was a former member of "In Pursuit of Balance (IPOB)", an organization that once took the world by storm in California, searching for well-balanced Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and is well-known for producing elegant and vibrant wines reminiscent of Europe.