The wine is made from a maceration of Macabeu from 70 year old vines growing on clay and rolled pebbles of limestone in Espira-de-l’Agly. The vines were planted by Laurent’s grandfather but they purchased the vineyard back from a subsequent owner a few years ago. This year they made two passes through the vineyard, five days apart and macerated each pick in separate tanks. The early pick was macerated for four days and the second one for five days. After pressing, the wine was aged in fiberglass.

At the start of the palate it is all flowers and fruit but it finishes speaking of the soil, with a steely mineral statement.

Mataburro

Mataburro is the small domaine of rising stars, Laurent Roger and Mélissa Ingrand, based in the Roussillon, the Catalan corner of France perched between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. Laurent’s path into natural wine took him from working at the venerable Paris wine bar Le Verre Volé to the Roussillon, where he apprenticed with Alain Castex of Le Casot des Mailloles, learning firsthand the central role of soil in shaping a vineyard’s expression. He further honed his style of winemaking while working with Tom Lubbe of Matassa and Axel Prüfer of Le Temps des Cerises.

In 2017, Laurent and Mélissa established Mataburro and took over his father’s remaining three hectares of vines, returning them to organic farming. Today, the domaine spans nearly five hectares across parcels near Rivesaltes and Espira-de-l’Agly. To have maximum soil life, Laurent does not plough, using green manure planting instead. In the cellar, they do short macerations of whole bunches with no foot stomping to limit the extraction. All macerations take place in fiberglass and the wines are aged in stainless steel. The wines are never filtered and have no added sulfites. Biodynamic practices, cover crops, and careful attention to each vineyard block allow them to make wines that are fresh, energetic, and naturally low in alcohol — perfect for the hot Mediterranean climate and refreshing anywhere in the world.