Tom Lubbe of Matassa is an icon of natural winemaking in the Roussillon, with roots stretching back to Domaine Gauby, an even earlier and more iconic producer in the region. Tom has influenced a new, perhaps call it third generation of young, natural producers, with many of them seeking out his influence for training and apprenticeship. The Vin de France rouge is his top red wine and the most ageworthy; it is drawn from parcels of 100+ year-old vines, based on a foundation of Carignan, with some Grenache Gris and a few other white field-blended varieties added in. It’s the only wine bottled at Matassa now that’s not labeled as a single vineyard; fermented whole-cluster in fiberglass tanks and then aged in neutral 600L barrels. It wants time in bottle, though it has Lubbe’s signature bright acidity and fine tannin; notes of black and red fruit, tar, soil, leather, cranberry, hay. A wonderful entry into the great red wines of the Roussillon and the Catalan southern border of France.
