he Máté family wine estate nestles on two private hills in the temperate, seaward zone of Montalcino.
Selected, hand-picked at fullest maturity and fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless steel vats or new wooden barrels, the grapes are punched down by hand to extract colors and tannins, while the must is kept cool to maintain the rich aromas of fruits and spices. The wines are aged for up to three years in Allier French oak barriques, tonneaux and 40 hl vats.
In the Máté vineyards and winery, no effort is spared to yield wines of great refinement, replete with unforgettable flavors.
A Roman vineyard 2,000 years ago, the seven fields of marvelously varied terroir lie  between 300 and 400 meters above sea level. Totaling 6.4 hectares (15.75 acres) among Mediterranean woods of herbs and wild fruit, they were designed by Fabrizio Moltard, agronomist to Angelo Gaja. The clones, chosen for each field by France’s Pierre Guillaume, comprise: Sangiovese (in fossil-filled tuffo), Merlot (in sandy clay), Cabernet Sauvignon (in galestro), and Syrah (on mineral-rich, southern terraces).
Planted to a high density of 6,200 vines per hectare, (2,500 per acre), the yields are kept extremely low by three annual green pruning to concentrate flavors.
Owners are Candace and Ferenc Máté. Ferenc Máté, born in Hungary in 1945 and raised in British Columbia, is a photographer, sailor and wine producer, and the author of several books, including two memoirs, The Hills of Tuscany (1999) and A Vineyard in Tuscany (2007). Máté and his artist and winemaker wife live in a 13th-century friary they restored near Montalcino. Their winery, Máté Wines, produces five bottling, including Brunello di Montalcino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and a Sangiovese-based blend.
Wine maker is Candace Máté
Total acres in production: 15.75
Total annual production: 25,000 - 35,000 btls
Web site: www.matewine.com

Awarded wines:

• Brunello di Montalcino 2005 – a “Top 100 Italian Wines 2010″ (Golosaria), and a Finalist – 3 Glasses – Gambero Rosso (Vini d’Italia);
• Brunello di Montalcino 2006 – 95 points - Wine Spectator and James Suckling;
• Cabernet Sauvignon – 92 points  – Wine Enthusiast;
• Merlot / Mantus – 90 points – Wine Enthusiast
• Albatro - Sangiovese/ Merlot – 90 points – Wine Spectator;
• Rosso di Montalcino – 87 points  – Wine Enthusiast;-