Written by Keturah King
The wonderous worlds of fine wines and fine art have been inextricably linked for centuries, like the perfect flowers of a wild grapevine. According to Liv-Ex (the global marketplace for the wine trade) just as recently as 2018, wine was a more stable investment than gold! A comprehensively fitting fact when one recalls that gold was first discovered in California as far back as 1848.
Now, whilst French Burgundy may have taken pole position as the premier wine region in the world again this year, The Golden State of California is proving to be a mighty adversary with its robustly rich, red fruited, full bodied Pinot Noirs, and charmingly creamy Chards. These California Chardonnays are slowly moving away from the big, oaky flavor profiles from days of yore to more refined, softer fermentation processes. This, in turn, has birthed an explosion of premium quality across American wine country, making our homegrown varietals comparable - and in some cases even better - than the crustier European counterparts.
The Art of Wine itself is a many splendored joy for those with discerning palates; whether that be in the making, or indeed, the consumption of the aforementioned tipple. And while 2020 may have brought indoor wining and dining to an abrupt halt for most of us, winemaker and Dutcher Crossing Winery proprietress, Debra Mathy, steadfastly refused to let anything beyond grapes get in between her and the production of the best New World vintages & varietals that serve as ambassadors to her picturesque vineyard.
Location plays an important role in producing delicious decants of one’s favored ruby reds and terrifically toothsome whites, and the award-winning wines at Dutcher Crossing Winery spare no expense in exhibiting beautiful terroir. The charmingly bijou winery is nestled at the junction of two idyllic creeks: Dry Creek and Dutcher Creek, in Sonoma County, Northern California, USA.
As the first single woman to own a winery in the county, Mathy is no stranger to trailblazing. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she decided to venture into the wine industry after a high school trip to the famous wine-soaked shores of the Côtes du Rhône region in France. “You know, the only reason I took French was to go to France. We went to the Southern Rhône area and Paris…I had never even seen a vineyard until I went to France”, recounts Mathy nostalgically. “I had permission to actually taste wine and I don’t know where I thought wine came from, but it was magical! And I came home and said, “I want to [get into the] wine industry!””
"It took time to prove that I wanted to be here
and I knew what I was doing and I was going
to be part of the community..."
Mathy shared her, at the time, fanciful aspirations with her father who chuckled and jokingly chided her to get a degree and a “real” job. Alas, the clarion call of California wine country was clearly too clamorous for her to ignore. So, Mathy sojourned from the vernal corn fields of Wisconsin to the vignerons of Sonoma. The move, however, was not without its share of challenges. Mathy’s beloved father was sadly diagnosed with stage four cancer. Realizing the necessity for his daughter to pursue her dreams wholeheartedly, he not only encouraged her to purchase the vineyard, but also decided to embark on the mammoth project with her. Unfortunately, three short months before the vineyard sale was complete, her father passed away. An avid cyclist, Mathy carries the last gift her father gave her - a vintage penny farthing bicycle - everywhere, in the form of the company logo emblazoned on all Dutcher Crossing wine bottles. “It represents our journey into wine country together, since he couldn't be here on a daily basis.”
When Mathy purchased the 35-acre vineyard 14 years ago, it produced a mere five wines. Today, Dutcher Crossing sits on 75 acres of estate-designated vineyards and offers over 30 wines from a variety of wine regions in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties. Mathy credits the exponential growth of the vineyard and brand to her genuine love of what she does and the young professionals she mentors. “I find their success almost as enjoyable as [watching] the winery’s success…that's my favorite part.” She also derives joy and inspiration from getting acquainted with each customer that visits the vineyard. “It’s one of those businesses that is something different every single day, which is really, really nice.” Whether she’s making the rounds blending wines with her winemakers, inspecting grapes whilst strolling through one of her many vineyards, or in her office going through the business accountsand spreadsheets - Mathy can always be found hard at work further developing her wine-craft.
To both her and her chief winemaker, taste is the most prominent attribute of all Dutcher Crossing wines. The intense flavors of the well-structured, premium fruit Mathy grows leads to longer mouthfeel length on the palate, more complexity in the wines, and the most ambrosial aromas one should be lucky to get a whiff of. Her personal favourite white wine varietal? The Dutcher Crossing 2019 Sauvignon Blanc (which won the Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition). One might delight in pairing this beautiful, mineral white that is bursting with citrus and tree fruit flavors with either goat’s cheese, seafood or a simple vegetarian salad, in order to fully enhance and complement the depth of flavors.
However, if opulent, firm reds are de rigueur, Mathy recommends you titillate your tastebuds with a sophisticated bottle of Dutcher Crossing 2018 Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir. This vintage promises to excite with its delightfully layered notes of cocoa, strawberries, red cherries and oak. One might decide to pair this luscious wine with an exquisite mid-rare tenderloin medallion of beef, veal, game or piquant poultry.
Should you desire an even bolder red with which to celebrate or mark a special occasion, look no further than Mathy’s prized Napa Cabernet. Named for her dear dog, the Dutcher Crossing Dutchess Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is big, rich and incredibly deep. You will find that this muscular & extracted scarlet wine leaves beautiful hints of vanilla, black fruit, chocolate and leather lingering on your palate long after you have polished off your glass of the remarkable vermilion vin. Oenophiles will want to pair this gorgeous bottle with juicy, tender meats and mature, hard cheeses.
Mathy is undoubtedly beloved by her employees - old and new alike. She credits the staff she retained from the winery’s previous owner for helping her learn as much as she could about the mouthwatering selection of Dutcher Crossing wines. And as she was taught, so she teaches. Mathy affably extends her time to inspired mentees who wish to follow in her footsteps. In fact, if you close your eyes, you can certainly feel and almost even taste the overflow of camaraderie, care and compassion exuded in each Dutcher Crossing wine sample. Mathy shares that she is simply passing the torch on to those who wish to grasp it, thereby illuminating the path for more young women to enter the industry.
With the exception of her winemakers, none of her employees received formal enological education. Instead, she trains her employees experientially on site. And in her bid to positively disrupt the industry - her core staff is made up of mostly females.
Why is this disruptive, you ask?
Historically speaking, winemaking has been widely regarded as a ‘boys club’ of sorts. Mathy herself faced backlash when she first moved to Sonoma. She recounts, “It took time to prove that I wanted to be here and I knew what I was doing and I was going to be part of the community…those were kind of big challenges for me.”
Ever willing to impart knowledge and enlighten customers, colleagues and mentees alike, Mathy shares the most important piece of advice she has learnt over the last 14 years, “you don't have to do things the ‘wine industry’ way, you just have to do things the right business way. And if you work hard enough, the sky's the limit.”
With a plethora of accolades and awards to her name, Debra Mathy is an unstoppable force. This inspirational woman turned her passion into her portfolio and is undoubtedly one to watch in the New World of wines.
Quickly becoming synonymous with luxury, Dutcher Crossing Winery is garnering a ubiquitous presence worldwide. And the Fine Art world couldn’t be more pleased.
Á votre santé!
Or as we say in the New World; CHEERS! -