Grape Harvest at Kathryn Kennedy winery

Marty Mathis, Californian vine owner

This Sunday afternoon I began reading the newest Newsletter from Kathryn Kennedy Winery. The headlines read, “Harvest is Imminent”. I have known Marty Mathis since 1983, as a winemaker and a proprietor. He works at Kathryn Kennedy Winery, Saratoga, California.

Maitredecave interviews Kathryn Kennedy owner

So I thought he would not mind answering a few questions that occurred to me while reading his assessment of the 2022 vintage and his magnificent Godello and Albariño. Please find below my questions in italics, and the answers Marty was generous enough to give following in black.

Early or not an early grape harvest  ?

Maitre de Cave : this not à couple weeks early?

Marty Mathis: For these white wines, for which I don’t want to let the sugar go too high (in pursuit of a reasonable fresh alcohol), this is not an early harvest date.  There are some dry rocky soils and warm spots in Saratoga.  I always recall my shock when I learned years ago that Mount Eden Vineyards harvested their dry farmed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sometimes in early August. They produce also Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.  The spot where we are growing Godello has cooling breezes from the South S(an) F(rancisco) Bay. But with a general sunny exposure and lots of dry, wild land surrounding it, so it seems to be precocious.

Cold fall at Kathryn Kennedy Estate

Vintage 2022 on the run 

Maitre de Cave: High heat ripened the fruit. Now the cool weather is giving you extra hang time to develop more complexity, more flavor, more phenolics?

Marty Mathis: Overall, the growing season of 2022 has had very few heat waves and none of more than three or four days.  Especially in July and August, this summer has shown itself as a very, very cool vintage.  My main concerns with the Godello this year was the smaller number of clusters per shoot, as it relates to my goals to achieve a certain number of gallons to fill a wonderful Austrian oak cask. I purchased it a few years prior. It was specifically to age to Godello in the methods I witnessed in Valdeorras Spain.  Roughly 50% S(tainless) S(teel) tanks, and 50% high quality (not old) French oak in medium size casks.  So, we have put bird netting on to save every berry. This save a fair amount of irrigation even leading up to Harvest to be sure we’re not losing volume. The clusters there have responded well.  The Godello at Kathryn Kennedy estate has a very dense cluster with large oblong shaped berries (all together larger than Chardonnay)

Godello clusters at 20 brix

Marty : My other (concern) objective, in terms of ripening is to bring the tiniest bit more of a ripe fruity character to the Godello wine.  The first vintage had a little bit too much green herbs and wild shrub notes on its nose.  I don’t want to go too far and bring the overly sunny yellow apple character that California sometimes can default to.

Is that grape harvest good for Albariño?  

MM ; It’s still puzzles me that Albariño ripens after the Godello.  I guess it’s a function of it’s growing in shade under Pergola.  This has been a good cool summer and I’m very excited about the potential for the Albariño.  The wine is casual and evokes a relaxed evening.  That is made doubly clear if you walk under the Pergolas loaded with ripe grapes as the sun angle goes down.  It’s pretty much a garden of Eden feeling.

Albariño en Parra

Spanish or Californian style ?

MDC : Are you making a “different” Albariño and Godello than Spain and Portugal are making?

MM : Without a doubt, they are growing conditions in Galicia that cannot be replicated anywhere on the West Coast of the United States.  Our summers are too dry.  The beauty of a modern weather app is that I can call up the weeks weather forecast in any town in the world and compare it to what I’m experiencing. (both locations being in the northern hemisphere Growers are experiencing the same calendar).  O Barco Spain in Valdeorras, has near identical temperature patterns to Cupertino. However, they receive thunderstorms about twice a week sometimes lasting a few days of rain.  As you know, Northern California could go the entire summer without seeing a single drop.  A few sprinkles are a very rare thing which we celebrate (as happened about two weeks ago).

Harvest 2022 at  Kathryn Kennedy Winery

But tropical moisture in Saratoga

MM : We got some tropical moisture… I start running around in a happy state telling everybody we’re experiencing European growing conditions.

I don’t believe it’s possible for me to make wine with the low pH. Such a fresh mouth feel that I so admire about white wines from Europe.  I will continue to strive to keep the alcohol levels down in my white wines. As well, with an eye towards avoiding too much Oak or other techniques that would bring any rich mouth feel.  It’s a struggle that most California growers are not attuned to. But we are doing our best to show these varieties in the style that they were meant to be.  To my taste there’s almost no way to have too much acidity. So, the more the white wine feels gentle and “water like” as you swallow it, the more excited I get !

Thanks to Marty Mathis, Kathryn Kennedy Estate

Marty Mathis at the entrance, Kathryn   Kennedy Winery. Saratoga, California

MDC : Next time, Marty would be happy to talk more about our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and future plantations projects.   Among them : microvines, other varietals on the way, and “sélection massale” …

Please, send your comments, it wil encourage us for a further interview.