After working with the only estate in South Africa (Welgemeend) that championed indigenous yeasts and lower yields in the late ’90s, Tom came to Roussillon and interned at Domaine Gauby for several years to explore Mediterranean varieties and climate. During this time, Tom met his wife, who just so happens to be Gauby’s sister and together they started Matassa in 2003. Fast forward today, Tom and Nathalie farm 20 hectares of different white & red varieties (Macabeu, Grenache Gris, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Muscat à petits grains, Carignan, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Grenache) divided in various vineyards around the village of Calce and Espira-de-l’Agly wherethey now have settled with their estate.
Most of the vineyards are 60-120 years old, coplanted with different varieties on schist & marl and yielding extremely low quantities. An additional 2 hectares of Carignan laying ongranitic soil can be found in the cooler, high altitude vineyards in Fenouillèdes. All the vineyards are worked naturally without any chemical aid; some biodynamic and plant preparations are used to activate and nourish the soil’s life. Whites are whole bunch basket pressed, and reds are whole-bunch fermented with one pigéage in the beginning to get the juice out and the spontaneous fermentation started. They are usually pressed off half-way through fermentation and the sugar fermentation is finished in old demimuid as well as large Austrian barrels where they also go through malolactic fermentation.
It would be a shame not to mention Tom's incredible mentorship over the years that has paved the way for many well-known and highly regarded vignerons today - among them (and to name a few) Craig Hawkins, Jurgen Gouws, Stefanie Renner.
This is Tom's top red wine from 110yo vines and interestingly, the only red not produced and named after a single vineyard.
Producer Matassa
Origin Roussillon, France
Grapes Carignan, Grenache Gris, 10% white field blend
Alcohol 12% ABV
Style Medium body natural red
Bottle size 750ml
Winemaking Manual harvested, whole-cluster, four day maceration in fiberglass. Pressed and racked to ferment and age in demi-muid. Unfiltred, Unfined, No So2 added.
Notes Natural, Organic, Biodynamic
United Kingdom
All orders are shipped with Packfleet and DHL/DPD couriers; the estimated delivery time is between 1 to 3 working days from the processing moment. Orders placed Mon - Fri before midday (12pm) will be processed the same day. On delivery day, you will receive a text message from the courier with a 1-hour delivery window.
London within M25* - PACKFLEET (delivery Monday to Saturday)
- £7.99 for orders below £80
- £5.99 for orders over £80
- FREE for orders over £120
*All Postcodes within M25, see the full lis here https://app.packfleet.com/coverage
England, Wales and Scotland - DHL/DPD (delivery Monday to Saturday)
- £7.99 for orders below £80
- £5.99 for orders over £80
- FREE for orders over £120
Northern Ireland, Scottish Highlands, and Islands* - DHL/DPD (delivery Monday to Friday)
- £9.99 for orders below £150
- FREE for orders over £150
*Postcodes (AB31-AB38, AB40-AB56, IV1-IV63, HS, KW1-KW17, PA20-PA38, PA41-PA49, PA60-PA78, PH4-PH44, PH49-PH50, BT, ZE, IM(Isle of Man), Channel Islands)
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia
Unfortunately at this moment we are not able to ship to Spain
All orders are shipped via UPS Express Delivery. The estimated delivery time is between 3 to 8 working days from the moment of processing.
We offer shipping to all the countries mentioned above for a flat fee of £18.99 per order, regardless of size or weight. Unfortunately, we cannot offer free shipping to these countries.
Due to internal regulations, we are unable to ship our wines to Sweden or Finland.
As an international customer, we will not charge you UK VAT or taxes. However, based on your country's regulations, you will need to pay customs and handling fees, which are generally around 20%.
USA, Canada, Asia, Australia
Although we ship regularly to these countries, we are unable to provide a fixed cost for shipping due to constant rate changes. Please contact us for a bespoke quote.
If your country is not listed in any of the categories above, please get in touch, and we'll be happy to assist and provide a quote if possible.
Packaging
We use only sustainable, recycled and recycling packaging that provides the highest standard of protection to the bottles. When possible, your wine is delivered in reused but reliable packaging that significantly helps the environment and also keeps down unnecessary costs, allowing the wines to do the talking.
Large deliveries
In some cases, large deliveries will be sent out with a wine courier and delivery time might vary. Please get in touch for more info.
