Matassa - that was the name of the first vineyard that the native South African Tom Lubbe together with his wife Nathalie and the New Zealand oenologist Sam Harrop in 2002 Languedoc bought. Matassa is an old Catalan word that describes the thicket of a natural forest. This meaning is also reflected in the logo, which shows a stylized form of the Japanese character for forest.

Surrounded by dense forest, Domaine Matassa is located at the foot of the Pyrenees and the name is as fitting then as it is today. The winery now has 14 hectares of vineyards, most of which are surrounded by Mediterranean bushes, cedars, fig trees and rosemary. Biodynamic cultivation from its most beautiful side. Since the terrain is difficult to access in parts, horses help with the cultivation of the soil. The wines, which are elaborately handcrafted in small quantities, are mineral, rich in finesse and elegant. Less is often more!

Although the Domaine Matassa was only founded shortly after the turn of the millennium, it already has cult status among connoisseurs. Tom Lubbe, who comes from South Africa, was previously the cellar master at the renowned Gauby company in the small town of Calce. He saw the potential of the area and bought some spectacular parcels. However, his current way of working is more modern, almost avant-garde. He has now become a role model for many young people Natural wine Become winemakers who, like him, are looking for wines of a cooler style, paired with a high level of tension on the palate. The result proves him right. The wines have enormous storage potential. And a lot of drinking fun!

Info on the 2022 vintage unfiltered by Tom:

“Here is a rough outline of what is possible for the 2022 vintage.
With the spring rain we had hoped it would be a more generous vintage, but it turned out to be an exceptionally dry summer. The vines were not stressed and the grapes were healthy but the amount of juice was very variable from site to site. So we had some decent quantities for certain cuvées and much less for others! Unfortunately we were also affected by wild fires during harvest, further reducing quantities on cuvees like Blossom and Tattouine. Like 2021 there were no real peaks of extreme heat and the vintage keeps a generally balanced character. It was a very quick harvest. We began on the 25th of July and we were finished by the 20th of August. Most of the wines were dry by the first week of September. Fermentations were generally faster and brighter in 2022.”