Steve Matthiasson doesn’t consider himself a trendsetter.
Yet as demand for lower-alcohol wines grows, it is a label the longtime Napa Valley winemaker may have to embrace.
Since 2003, Matthiasson has pursued elegance in the vineyard and cellar, producing restrained, moderate-alcohol wines marked by purity and verve.
It’s a style gaining traction among American wine drinkers as they move away from heavy, high-alcohol wines in favor of no- and low-alcohol beverages and lighter, food-friendly wines.
“By contemporary standards, my wines are lower in alcohol, but I’ve been making them this way for 25 years,” said Matthiasson, founder of Matthiasson Wines in Napa. “I’ve never followed trends. The wines I make are the style I like to drink.”
Steve Matthiasson of Matthiasson Wines with his Cabernet Sauvignon. (Marcus L Jackson)
Workers pick schioppetino grapes with low sugar levels at dawn for Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Inspired in part by the restrained red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy and whites of northern Italy, Matthiasson makes about 20 varietals of wine, generally ranging from 12% to 13% alcohol. His 2023 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, at 13%, is something of an anomaly in a region known for big, powerful reds.
“If you look at the classic producers of the Old World, their wines are very often in the 12 to 13% range,” he said. “They have high acid with bright fruit flavors. That’s the aesthetic we like at Matthiasson.”
A historical perspective
Matthiasson’s wine style echoes an earlier era of California winemaking in the 1980s and early 1990s, after the lean wines of the 1960s and ’70s but before the high-octane reds that came to dominate in the late 1990s and 2000s.
During that period, influential critics like Robert M. Parker Jr. began awarding higher scores to wines that were bigger and riper, helping drive consumer demand for the style.
Workers pick schioppetino grapes with low sugar levels at dawn for Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Jose Ochoa Segura carries a lug of schioppetino grapes to a tractor during dawn harvest at the Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Courtney Gardner rakes just picked schioppetino grapes into a hopper for destemming at the Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Marta Alicia Paneagua carries a lug of schioppetino grapes to a tractor during dawn harvest at the Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
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Workers pick schioppetino grapes with low sugar levels at dawn for Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
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To produce such wines, many winemakers allowed grapes to remain on the vine longer, increasing sugar levels and, ultimately, alcohol during fermentation.
Climate change has added another challenge for winemakers seeking to maintain a more restrained style, as rising temperatures can contribute to higher alcohol levels.
But while some winemakers might balk at producing a moderate-alcohol Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley, a warm region famous for its powerful reds, Matthiasson is undeterred.
“We can all make Cabernet at 13.2% alcohol — some just choose not to,” he said. “People say the tannins won’t be ripe, or climate change makes it difficult. But it was also warm in 1992 and people did it then. It is entirely possible.”
When Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are underripe, they contain higher levels of pyrazines, compounds that can produce distinctly vegetal or herbaceous aromas, including green bell pepper. Some winemakers consider those flavors a flaw; others see them as a source of freshness.
Workers pick schioppetino grapes with low sugar levels at dawn for Matthiasson Winery Friday, Sept. 4, 2026 in Napa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
“To me, pyrazines in Cabernet are like mint leaves in a fruit salad — they give the wine a brightness and help with food compatibility,” Matthiasson said. “We want our Cabernet to have that old-school character.”
He also uses canopy management techniques to keep grapes cool during the growing season, slowing the accumulation of sugar.
“I’m always arguing with winemakers about how much light we should get on the fruit,” said Matthiasson, who is also a vineyard consultant with Premier Viticultural Services in Napa. “They tell me I need to pull leaves and open up the canopy to improve fruit quality, but that’s outdated research. You want to keep the fruit protected.”
Lessons in the vineyard
At Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Alexander Valley, the Jordan family has been producing moderate-alcohol Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1970s. Today, winemaker Maggie Kruse continues that tradition, with the 2022 vintage at just 12.8%.
Maggie Kruse, winemaker at Jordan Vineyard & Winery. (Kari Van Dyk Dana)
“At Jordan, selecting the perfect site is essential for producing lower-alcohol wines,” said Kruse, who has worked at the winery for 20 years. “You need a vineyard with good, drainable soils, which helps Cabernet ripen and taste delicious when we’re ready to pick.”
She also favors Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 2 for its plush, fruit-forward flavors, which she said can give lower-alcohol wines a sense of opulence.
In recent years, however, maintaining the winery’s lower-alcohol style has become more difficult, sometimes prompting Kruse to turn to technology.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery’s 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. (Jordan Vineyard & Winery)
“It’s getting harder for us to make this leaner style of wine because of the heat spikes we’ve been getting,” said Kruse, who typically picks at about 23.5 Brix, a measure of grape sugar. “In 2022, we had these very high sugars without physiological maturity, so we had to use reverse osmosis to remove some of the excess alcohol.”
But in the cooler 2023 vintage, everything fell into place.
“Everything was easy,” she said. “ The sugars were low, so the flavors were beautifully rich and layered. It’s an incredible wine.”
Cool-climate reds
Like Kruse, Matt Licklider of Lioco Wines in Healdsburg believes location is essential to producing exceptional lower-alcohol wines. At Sealift Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast appellation, Licklider sources Pinot Noir from a site about four miles from the sea.
“The fruit is ripened by the cool, often dappled sunshine as opposed to heat,” Licklider said. “At 13.7% alcohol, it offers an energetic attack of sour red fruit, pomegranate and rhubarb. In my opinion, higher alcohol Pinot Noir is a blunter instrument that offers a much softer attack.”
It’s a similar story at Minus Tide Wines in Mendocino County, where co-winemaker Brad Jonas produces Syrah from the cool, high-elevation Valenti Vineyard in the Mendocino Ridge appellation.
Minus Tide 2023 Syrah, Valenti Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge (Minus Tide Wines)
At just 13% alcohol, the 2023 wine sings with Syrah’s signature black pepper, with intense notes of oil-cured black olive, wild blackberries, rosemary and violets.
“We love cool-climate wines, which tend to be lower in alcohol,” Jonas said. “This Syrah is a great example because it’s peppery, spicy and has great energy. While it doesn’t have the weight of a riper-style wine, it more than makes up for it with incredible intensity and concentration of flavor.”
Interest among consumers
Over the past 20 years, Kruse has watched Jordan’s wines find an increasingly broad audience.
“When I first started with the company, many consumers were seeking those massive, high-octane Cabs, but that has really changed,” she said. “ I’ve definitely seen a trend of people wanting balanced, nuanced Cabernets that pair well with food. We’ve become more popular because our lower-alcohol style — it’s a great entry point for younger drinkers.”
Matthiasson Wines Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. (Shane Michalik)
Yet for winemakers like Mathiasson, who aren’t driven by trends, the goal is simply to produce exceptionally pure wines.
“I’m still waiting for anybody to care that our wines are low in alcohol. People don’t gravitate to us for that reason,” he said. “Consumers like our wines because they’re easy to drink and pair well with food. People love their drinkability.”
Where to buy
Matthiasson Wines 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($90); matthiasson.com
Jordan Vineyard & Winery 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley ($60); jordanwinery.com
Minus Tide 2023 Syrah, Valenti Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge ($42); minustidewines.com
Lioco Wines 2024 Pinot Noir, Sealift Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast ($72); liocowines.com
Sarah Doyle is the wine and beverage reporter at The Press Democrat. Send her story ideas at sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com
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