Tom Lubbe is a Kiwi ex-pat making wine in France's Roussillon and for several decades he has been lighting up the natural wine community with his Matassa label. These wines have become more sought-after in the past few years, and we hate to tell you, but the hype is well-deserved.
His philosophy in terms of farming has always been thoughtful and non-conformist. Worms and cover crops are what he sees as the most transformative elements in keeping his land healthy; he hasn't used any sulfur since 2015. Fires exacerbated by drought conditions came for his vines in 2022, wiping out significant portions of vineyards where his Tattouine and Blossom wines come from. In August 2022 he said, "apart from the vineyards touched by fire and wild pigs it looks like a lovely year so far."
The wines have a buoyant, lighthearted bent which belies Tom's earnest vineyard work and land stewardship. They are complex and reflect terroir but this is usually overshadowed by how delicious and pleasurable they are. Matassa wines rarely fail to deliver, on their own or with sophisticated cuisine composed on small plates with tweezers. Whether at Septime, Frenchette, or in Brooklyn apartments, they bring joy to the table.
They always arrive in small quantities, and the fires made this worse, so to spread the love we are limiting customers to two bottles per cuvée. Most of you probably already know to click away as fast as possible but if this is your first time hearing about the wines, I hope you can get in on the fun!
Cheers,
Jonathan
![Image of Matassa 'Brutal' Rouge 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/S0sq1Ryv6vGMUgwVJ5ECRTe-Tz-KxKorWSFA3LP4SCn_OTnwVqE_MYqMOals7UmnCxF0N3N5zUwnkrL5W_haWvUP3BlA7xxIaWaEzolggwr7PsdKSwflsciv39Vp_G84Sb9oqWl28Oqf_YKVs3BQmMhEVzERBoKH2LhexEIhuts=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_92fe69ba-5b91-4d59-96f3-06a57b96377e.jpg?v=1689805660) |
| Matassa 'Brutal' Rouge 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| A co-ferment of Syrah and Muscat Petit Grains, four days of whole cluster maceration. Fermented and aged in fiberglass. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Blanc 'Brutal' Orange Macabeu 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/br-JV0_TctvuzUjtZCgxTucvzBWyX9G3vjpdt3v6C8wnqxlN8Gwsm6z0zQbdpZqENxk-duLqmCYktHOXbyo2dhbFws-S97ngLY0C8faUsb_bBGUz0C_qNRh_yIg6IfT8kZdJ6kkNNcjmJMUOoUExlqDcpRIKuKvf5OZK8efiIdw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_1ad5ecaa-9be1-448a-8ce2-5c60063ffcaa.jpg?v=1689806632) |
| Matassa Blanc 'Brutal' Orange Macabeu 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| 70 year-old Macabeu vines on schist. Three weeks on skins, whole cluster maceration. Fermented and aged in demi-muid. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Rouge 'Rollaball' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/kvfiQ-ddVqsguXQMYGkBnyGqQobvotev_FlIG16uasJRm-EwyT-Wt49m8F03CC8gcLfa_uulNfnTeUeFSy--xNTLa_40oUJwJYIoZgW8FS8hP8Rva8U3nSH91ZnBHgeAn8rf_DICQHTYE9C4jZkcLoLEsKHQXou5bMNYY3sNurM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_1f0ca84b-7e0b-4b4c-8d60-7e92d0d0e3b7.jpg?v=1689807055) |
| Matassa Rouge 'Rollaball' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| A light, delicious, direct press blend of 50% Mourvèdre & 50% Carignan. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Blanc 'Blossom' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/whyP1g9E3IQAUOiaczzQoJCNCtIlvXRhWx0cYrOgJ_x0O-unrpNDuotj0yqvmgCJngqOCXfn-1uLa4Lk8QX-cWkE2rJeeQ6z5N5A_MrbM4itpwu4-lCf3T1DvFBktxTD00ndu8kSvTAUjXGFc82UsUi_7KrEwp3NVIGYUh_4uFI=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_1ab1c2e1-f274-4d18-86bd-fe3ea0a53a20.jpg?v=1689806587) |
| Matassa Blanc 'Blossom' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| This is always very special. It comes from Tom's smallest vineyard, planted on red schist, and it is the earliest to ripen. It's Muscat Petit Grains, which is more aromatic than the more common Muscat of Alexandria. Three weeks on skins, whole cluster. Fermented and aged in demi-muid and foudrè. 50 % of this vineyard was wiped out in last year's fire. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Rouge 'Romanissa' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/H1Kgm4tCVeRpDNkPff-Z9fmvP1A4Wh0R3pKbXFihq_HlgXeybXqlSOrg0WAFCL7ID2FkRxz1UMBS6PgWlVxZeebyEnyENuZtD3_oZXqDc8c77pmujbSwSwzLbMg1dDei4t_za0bNwUcxKVRlCEyfFz9UroLsnRI4EZsJb9jKLVM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_7c9f964d-cbe7-4871-b82f-d65285c4adca.jpg?v=1689805714) |
| Matassa Rouge 'Romanissa' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| A single vineyard of 40 year-old Grenache planted on red schist. Four days of whole cluster maceration, aged in demi-muid. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Rouge 'Tattouine' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/7BNwbbxl_To5KzE7TTODQuw-cMfb1avtDDEmc1_ZhHBHwSwdeokOoA6Mx343LN-FtkyXFUmb5x7azxrsr7wVGynmAzrwy6fmiInynYDMequ7s-4LjfS0ChvShNM6eSG7uVKHIksLi4Yjc4zl-RX5jjBtgTD-2Ilhp2Q1SiuzczM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_cd5ec822-978d-4215-866d-fa1adab04ee2.jpg?v=1689805643) |
| Matassa Rouge 'Tattouine' 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| 90 year-old vines of Grenache Gris and Carignan on red schist. Four weeks of whole cluster maceration. 30% of this vineyard was burned last summer. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Blanc 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/m33XQc_lRsYo_xAZHBioh_JdC9-v80onMiXmIFC_c3rbJy5eoYl7YvtI4_pdSrlNQEaDhWEc1wZLSnYChEJ5Db_lyfwpUFUDy1l9xgad1qPuukgGrrxl9nF197TMVMhljW1a2amrzO92LVa8yEyGeqmK7dhEIKPHDyG4ol8cNIU=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_e92e6c5c-19e4-4756-807b-895e55d111d4.jpg?v=1689807256) |
| Matassa Blanc 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| Tom's top white wine, from 95 year-old vines on schist. Direct press Grenache Gris is blended with Macabeu that spends two weeks on its skins. Fermented and aged in large foudrè on its lees. Zero sulfur. |
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![Image of Matassa Rouge 2022 [2 bottles max per customer]](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/yMdVdE1AU91AWhvZmgWhoqkHtQoioieE1vifqObY0bud64xPi9kVjKjShmO1K4QRcYZvdVZzG_2lnu7LiLfCO6D5GhB9ixYbM1vYuBn8wZfsJS92bh7Pa6D7eK271GR-ES-TWqexH7nNgC8nyKDgGp-xsGPzYUSYDfN1U3moeIU=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1270/3173/files/image_b45af850-f981-48bb-a133-383eb4649558.jpg?v=1689805748) |
| Matassa Rouge 2022 [2 bottles max per customer] |
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| 110 year-old vines of Carignan, Grenache Gris, and 10% of a field blend of white grapes on marl, this is Tom's top red wine. Whole cluster fermentation, aged in demi-muid. Zero sulfur. |
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