Cuvée Romanissa is a pure expression of Lledoner Pelut, also known as "hairy Grenache," sourced from vines that are up to 130 years old. These ancient vines are grown on iron-rich red schist soils at an estate certified in organic and biodynamic farming. To maintain its fresh character, the fruit undergoes a brief four-day whole-cluster maceration before ageing for eight months in large demi-muid barrels. The final wine is bottled without fining, filtration, or any added sulphites. Named after the Catalan word for "the place where rosemary grows," this red is light and radiant with a youthful cherry shimmer. The nose offers a mix of fresh strawberry, raspberry, and floral notes, complemented by a subtle Mediterranean spiciness.

Matassa

New Zealander Tom Lubbe was making wine in South Africa when he got the opportunity to do a 3-month internship at Domaine Gauby in the south of France. That internship turned into a 3-year relationship during which time he met Gérard Gauby's daughter Nathalie, to whom he is now happily married.

After learning about Catalan winemaking from Gérard Gauby, the couple struck out on their own in 2002, purchasing some ancient Carignan vines (100+ years old) in the remote hillside village of Vivier at 500m - 600m altitude- saving them from extinction. Thus Domaine Matassa was born. The couple produced their first vintage in their living room before moving into Domaine Gauby's old cellars in 2004.

Domaine Matassa works with old vines of traditional Catalan varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Macabeu, Grenache Gris, Muscat d'Alexandrie and Muscat de Petits-Grains. Most are massal selection. These old vines are incredibly low-yielding and result in terroir-driven wines of intense concentration and focus - the likes of which rarely hail from the south of France.

Indigenous grapes come from old vines, and vineyards are worked naturally, by hand. Matassa uses native yeasts and no additives of any kind, except for minimal sulfur at bottling. Wines are unfined.

These are beautifully balanced subtle old-vine wines driven by acidity and crunchy fruit with outstanding concentration and focus.