In a region where red wines routinely top 15 percent alcohol, Tom Lubbe makes reds that come in at 10 to 12. That contrarian lightness, drawn from old vines on schist and granite, is the signature of Domaine Matassa and one of the most copied ideas in Roussillon.
Backstory
Lubbe was born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand. He came to Roussillon in 1999 for work experience at Domaine Gauby, where he met his future wife Nathalie Gauby and rose to cellar master. In 2003 he founded Domaine Matassa with Nathalie and New Zealand winemaker Sam Harrop.
The Region
The domaine is based in the village of Calce, in the heart of Roussillon in southern France. It is a hot, sun-drenched region near the Spanish border, which makes Lubbe's pursuit of freshness and low alcohol all the more striking.
Vineyards & Farming
Matassa farms roughly 15 to 20 hectares around Calce and Espira-de-l'Agly, with most vines 60 to 120 years old and often co-planted with several varieties. The soils are schist, marl, and black slate, with an additional parcel of Carignan on granite in the cooler, higher-altitude Fenouilledes. Lubbe farms organically and biodynamically, obsessed with regenerative soil health and compost. The grapes include Macabeu, Grenache, Grenache Gris, Carignan, Syrah, Muscat a Petits Grains, and Muscat of Alexandria (Zibibbo).
Winemaking
Fermentations run on indigenous yeasts with minimal intervention. Lubbe has added no sulfur to his wines since 2015, relying instead on healthy fruit and careful cellar work.
The Wines
The range delivers Lubbe's famous pale reds and textured whites. Cuvee Marguerite is an aromatic skin-contact white of Macabeu, Zibibbo, and Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains, while Cuvee Romanissa is 100 percent Lledoner Pelut, the downy-leaved Catalan mutation of Grenache. The cult Brutal bottlings round out a portfolio defined by lightness and energy.
