About this winery

Why Matchbook? As a farm kid growing up in the late 1950´s and early 1960´s John Giguiere was a confirmed pyromaniac starting various things on fire such as his father´s wheat field. At one point, fearing total ruin from his kids burning him out of the house and farm, his father took them to the city jail for an hour stay to impress upon his brother and him the futility of their fascination with fire. John and his brother answered at a later date by graduating from random fires to the...

See the MATCHBOOK WINES detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

East of Napa, Left of Center: The Giguiere family embodies Dunnigan Hills winemaking. In 1981 they pioneered grape-growing in this region when they planted their very first vineyard. By 1993 they’d succeeded in making the Dunnigan Hills a nationally recognized American appellation.

Production notes

Six different clones of Chardonnay were artfully blended to create this wine. All the grapes were picked at night and delivered to the winery before sunrise to ensure the fruit was crushed when cool. The barrel fermented lots were lees stirred twice a month to enhance texture and mouthfeel. Most of the tank fermented lots were barreled down to complete aging. The Musqué clone 809 was tank fermented where it remained to hold on to all of its special fruit characters. Yeast “cocktails” (a mixture of our winemaker’s favourite compatible yeasts) were used on all lots to allow complex fermentation characters to evolve in the wine.

Tasting notes

A delicious balance of fruit and toasted oak. This new vintage opens with enticing aromas apricot, butterscotch and honey. The stone fruit flavours follow through on the palate, layered over luscious crème brûlée, vanilla, toasted oak and butter. There is a nice weight to the wine that leads to a long, lingering finish. This Chardonnay is a showcase for the Dunnigan Hills terroir.