Matt KettmannWriter at Large
Reviews wines from California.
Matt Kettmann reviews and reports on wines from the Central and South Coasts of California for the magazine. A fifth-generation Californian originally from San Jose, Kettmann is a senior editor for The Santa Barbara Independent, the weekly newspaper/daily website where he started his journalism career in 1999 after graduating from UC-Santa Barbara with an anthropology degree. He's reported on wine and more for for the New York Times, Time Magazine and Wine Spectator, among other publications. He is the author of Vines & Visions: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County, a 632-page profile of the region, and is currently updating the Southern California chapter for The Oxford Companion to Wine. Kettmann has made small batches of noncommercial wine almost every vintage since 2012, and lives in the Santa Barbara suburbs with his Bordeaux-born wife and their two kids, where they grow one vine of Zinfandel, originally from Santa Cruz Island.
Recent Articles and Reviews
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Sta. Rita Hills Is More Than Just Pinot-Land January 2, 2023 How did this region rise so quickly to international acclaim? Spoiler, it's more than just…
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Is the Carmel Coast California's Next Pinot Noir Star? December 13, 2022 Inside the push for a new appellation focused on fresh Pinot Noir and saline Chardonnay.
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‘We’re Trying to Create a Legacy Region,’ Says Austin Hope, Winemaker and President of Hope Family Wines, American Winery of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 Wine Star Awards November 3, 2022 Before Paso Robles became a revered wine region, the family behind this winery had a…
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Meet the Real People Making the Most Popular Wines in America October 25, 2022 These California winemakers serve the most critical role in American wine by producing bottles that…

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St. Huberts The Stag 2020 Pinot Noir (Central Coast) Black raspberry, cedar and wet-slate aromas converge for a compelling nose on this bottling. The… 89 Points $20
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Castoro Cellars 2021 Oakenshield Reserve Falanghina (Paso Robles) Made from organic grapes, this bottling shows Paso Robles potential for this grape variety from… 89 Points $35
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Castoro Cellars 2020 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) Dark berry, cassis and cocoa aromas meet with a woody focus on the nose of… 89 Points $19
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La Honda Winery 2020 Salinian Block Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains) Aromas of tart plum, purple flowers and incense oil show on the nose of this… 89 Points $38
