The Arsonist is on FIRE! Collecting 91 points from Tasting Panel Magazine. The review will be published in the upcoming September issue. We love their “shimmering” review:
“Rich, generous nose; golden color; lush and shimmering with creamy texture and rich, toasty flavors; ripe pear fruit riding on juicy, bright acidity; a really good value.” – Tasting Panel Magazine
Get a bottle today and have a drink of Power and Grace! Click here to visit the wine store.
Wine Enthusiast has awarded The Arsonist 2017 Estate Bottled Chardonnay 93 points & Editors’ Choice and will be featured in their October 2019 issue. We are thrilled to receive our fourth consecutive 90+ point score from this prestigious magazine. We’d like to thank our stellar winemaking and vineyard team for crafting delicious high quality wines with the perfect balance of Power and Grace. We are heading into this year’s harvest with gold stars and good feelings!
Wine Enthusiast Full Review:
This indulgent, full-bodied wine goes all out on richness. Aromas of malted milk, vanilla and cream lead to layered hazelnut, crème brûlée and poached pear flavors, while the viscous texture carries through for a lingering finish. – JIM GORDON
Get a bottle of The Arsonist Estate Bottled Chardonnay, click here!
An opulent and luscious wine with the essence of dried blueberries and juicy plum that seamlessly transition to a lengthy finish with hints of dark chocolate and truffle tannins. The Arsonist 2015 Red Blend is a towering affirmation that we all must sometimes play with fire. This is the perfect wine to warm up your holiday and pairs well with a Filet Mignon or slow-roasted Osso Buco. To order a bottle today click here.
Wine Enthusiast has rated our 2014 The Arsonist Chardonnay 91 Points and an Editors’ Choice! The review appears in the November 2016 issue of the magazine:
“91 Matchbook 2
014 The Arsonist Chardonnay (Dunnigan Hills). There is no denying the appeal of this full-bodied Chardonnay from a remote stretch of Northern California. It smells like grilled and buttered baguette slices and Bosc pears, and tastes ripe, fruity and almost as rich as hazelnuts. Creamy in texture, it lingers long on the finish, with subtle acidity for good balance. Editors’ Choice – J.G.
abv: 14.3 Price: $22″
Lauren King captured the innovative spirit of the Matchbook story in her August 23, 2016, feature in the Daily Democrat:
A Yolo County winery is blazing a new path in an industry from an unlikely vantage point.
John and Lane Giguiere began Matchbook Wine Company in the Dunnigan Hills to bring great wine and reputation to the region.
The couple met and fell in love at Woodland High School and after college, they joined John’s brother in taking over the family farm.
“I studied psychology in college and it didn’t seem very relevant. Everything was theoretical, nothing real. Putting a seed in the ground and seeing it come out of the ground and grow, that was real,” said John of his decision to move back to the family home.
At first, the couple tried their hand at the traditional trades of the area — dry grains and sheep. When that didn’t work, they tried planting beans, corn, and other irrigated crops. The couple could still not make ends meet.
“In a last ditch effort, we planted 10 acres of grapes to sell to other wineries. We ended up not selling them and instead hired a grad student out of UC Davis to make wine for us. That worked,” recalled Lane.
In the first year, they sold 4,000 cases of wine. In the next year, that number would grow to 40,000 and to 150,000 in the next.