{"title":"Skein","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe story of \u003cstrong\u003eDomaine Matassa\u003c\/strong\u003e begins in the most unlikely way possible: a first vintage vinified in the living room, in 2003, by a New Zealander raised in South Africa who had no intention of staying in France. \u003cstrong\u003eTom Lubbe\u003c\/strong\u003e had arrived in \u003cstrong\u003eCalce\u003c\/strong\u003e—a village of three hundred souls at the foot of the Pyrenees—for a three-month internship with \u003cstrong\u003eGérard Gauby\u003c\/strong\u003e, the legendary pioneer of Roussillon. Gauby invited him to stay for three more harvests. In the meantime, Tom met \u003cstrong\u003eNathalie\u003c\/strong\u003e, Gérard's sister, married her, had children, and never returned to South Africa. Gauby, almost as a form of reparation, gave him his old winery in 2004. From then on, Matassa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eToday the estate boasts \u003cstrong\u003e20 hectares\u003c\/strong\u003e of vineyards spread between Calce and the surroundings of Estagel, on the territory of \u003cstrong\u003eMas Ferriol\u003c\/strong\u003e, nestled in the Mediterranean scrubland at altitudes between 350 and 600 meters. The vines are between \u003cstrong\u003e60 and 120 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e, often planted in mixed patterns with different varieties on the same plot—Macabeu, Grenache Gris, Muscat d'Alexandrie, Muscat à petits grains for the whites; Carignan, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir for the reds. The soils are schist, marl, and clay: poor, well-drained, forcing deep roots. In the vineyard, no synthetic chemical products are used, biodynamics are practiced, and horses are used where the terrain does not allow access for machinery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eIn the cellar, Tom works with a philosophy that has only one direction: to subtract, not to add. The whites have been macerated on their skins since 2008—a rare choice at the time, now recognized as pioneering. The reds are fermented with whole cluster infusion, often in co-fermentation with white grapes. Since 2015, no added sulfites. No filtration, no fining. All wines are released as \u003cstrong\u003eVin de France\u003c\/strong\u003e—a voluntary choice, for freedom of blending and expression, without the constraints of appellations. The result is wines of unexpected freshness for Roussillon: they rarely exceed 12% alcohol, have lively acidity, a saline texture, a lightness that is not a given in this sunny region. Tom describes them as \"light reds and dark whites\"—and it's not a joke, it's a philosophy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eWinemakers like \u003cstrong\u003eJurgen Gouws\u003c\/strong\u003e of Intellego and \u003cstrong\u003eCraig Hawkins\u003c\/strong\u003e of Testalonga cite him as a mentor. Matassa did not invent natural wine, but he defined a precise language for it: freshness, tension, terroir—without rhetoric.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"olla-blanc-vin-de-france-2024-matassa","title":"Olla Blanc Vin de France 2024 Matassa","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Catalan, \u003cstrong\u003eOlla\u003c\/strong\u003e means \u003cem\u003epot\u003c\/em\u003e, and it takes its name from the \u003cstrong\u003eCoume de l'Olla\u003c\/strong\u003e vineyard: a natural basin just outside Calce where \u003cstrong\u003eTom Lubbe\u003c\/strong\u003e has planted and restored old vines of traditional Catalan varieties. It is the gateway to the world of \u003cstrong\u003eMatassa\u003c\/strong\u003e, the winery that Tom has transformed into one of the absolute benchmarks of French natural wine since 2003. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eL'Olla Blanc is a blend of \u003cstrong\u003eMacabeu Moscato à Petits Grains\u003c\/strong\u003e, from vines between 30 and 45 years old planted between 500 and 600 meters above sea level, on limestone and red clay soils rich in iron. Hand-harvested, spontaneous fermentation with only indigenous yeasts and \u003cstrong\u003eabout two weeks of whole cluster skin maceration\u003c\/strong\u003e in concrete tanks. Eight months on the lees in the same concrete, bottled unfiltered, unfined and \u003cstrong\u003ewithout a drop of added sulfur\u003c\/strong\u003e: Tom has not used any in the entire winery since 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Matassa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54130930647380,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/files\/Olla-Blanc-Vin-de-France-2024-Matassa.jpg?v=1775594788"},{"product_id":"olla-rouge-vin-de-france-2024-matassa","title":"Olla Rouge Vin de France 2024 Matassa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOlla Rouge\u003c\/strong\u003e is the red sibling of Olla Blanc, and comes from the same vineyard, \u003cstrong\u003eCoume de l'Olla\u003c\/strong\u003e, the natural hollow outside Calce from which \u003cstrong\u003eTom Lubbe\u003c\/strong\u003e produces his entry-level line. The blend is a small statement of Catalan style: \u003cstrong\u003eapproximately 60-70% Grenache Noir, 10-20% Grenache Gris, and the rest Macabeu\u003c\/strong\u003e, all grapes harvested and \u003cstrong\u003eco-fermented together\u003c\/strong\u003e, white and red in the same vat, as was done in old Catalan wineries before someone decided to separate everything. Hand-harvested, vinification in concrete with a \u003cstrong\u003eshort semi-carbonic maceration\u003c\/strong\u003e, about a week or slightly more on the skins, spontaneous fermentation with only indigenous yeasts. Aged in concrete tanks for eight to nine months. Bottled without filtration, without fining, \u003cstrong\u003ezero added sulfites\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat emerges is a red that bears little resemblance to what you'd expect from Roussillon: juicy, fragrant, with fruit at the forefront and surprising drinkability. A nose of crisp cherry, strawberry, a hint of pepper and garrigue, a lively palate with almost no tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Matassa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54130930712916,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/files\/Olla-Rouge-Vin-de-France-2024-Matassa.jpg?v=1775595563"},{"product_id":"matassa-blanc-vin-de-france-2023-matassa","title":"Matassa Blanc Vin de France 2023 Matassa","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eMatassa Blanc\u003c\/strong\u003e is the white wine that bears the name of the domaine like a signature. \u003cstrong\u003eTom Lubbe\u003c\/strong\u003e has been producing it since 2003 — the first vintage literally bottled in his living room, before Gérard Gauby gave him his old cellar the following year. \u003cstrong\u003eGrenache Gris\u003c\/strong\u003e from centenary vines and \u003cstrong\u003eMacabeu\u003c\/strong\u003e, both from vineyards around \u003cstrong\u003eCalce\u003c\/strong\u003e at 400 meters above sea level on schist soils. Very early harvest by design: picking before ripeness turns to alcohol. 10.5 degrees, yet with plenty of substance and tension. Whole cluster pressed Grenache Gris, foot-trod Macabeu with a short maceration, then foudre and used Austrian oak demi-muid for ten months on the lees. Zero sulfites, zero filtration. In the glass: citrus, chamomile, almond blossom, orange zest, an almost saline minerality derived from the schist. One of the purest and most taut white wines of the South of France.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Matassa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54130930778452,"sku":null,"price":51.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/files\/Matassa-Blanc-Vin-de-France-2023-Matassa.jpg?v=1775641054"},{"product_id":"cuvee-romanissa-vin-de-france-2023-matassa","title":"Cuvée Romanissa Vin de France 2023 Matassa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRomanissa\u003c\/strong\u003e in Catalan is the place where rosemary grows—the name of a wild hill around \u003cstrong\u003eCalce\u003c\/strong\u003e, in the heart of the Pyrénées-Orientales, where \u003cstrong\u003eGrenache Noir\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eCarignan\u003c\/strong\u003e vines sink their roots into the Roussillon schist. \u003cstrong\u003eTom Lubbe\u003c\/strong\u003e works these two grape varieties with the same philosophy he applies to all his production: early harvest to keep alcohol low, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, wood used as a container and not as an ingredient. Used tonneaux and barriques, nothing new, nothing that adds artificial structure. The result is an \u003cstrong\u003e11-degree\u003c\/strong\u003e red that does not behave like a southern wine: it has acidity, tension, a bittersweet and spicy aromatic complexity reminiscent of the Mediterranean garrigue from which it comes. A red that Tom makes to demonstrate that Roussillon doesn't necessarily have to be powerful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Matassa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54130930876756,"sku":null,"price":45.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/files\/Cuvee-Romanissa-Vin-de-France-2023-Matassa.jpg?v=1775641322"}],"url":"https:\/\/wivood.com\/en\/collections\/matassa.oembed","provider":"Wivood","version":"1.0","type":"link"}