🍷Wine of the Week - Domaine Matassa Cuvée Marguerite 2024 | Pure, vibrant, and profoundly Mediterranean
Founded in the early 2000s, Domaine Matassa grew from Tom Lubbe’s recognition of the extraordinary potential of the wild, rugged landscape around Calce in the Roussillon. A native South African and former cellar master at Domaine Gauby, Lubbe acquired old, sometimes high-altitude vineyard plots with unique terroir and embraced a radically purist, natural approach to winemaking.
Low alcohol, high tension on the palate, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, no fining and no filtration define his style. The wines are precise, cool, lively and full of energy — yet deeply connected to the land.
At Domaine Matassa, nature exists in full coexistence: the earth, trees, plants, animals, vines and humans. Biodynamics, horses and handcrafting are not simply techniques but part of a broader philosophy. Lubbe’s minimally interventionist wines, with clear provenance and expressive character, have become a reference point for a new generation of winemakers. Today, the estate stands as a symbol of the South’s new natural style — authentic, visionary and profoundly connected to place.
Lubbe also invites us to rethink how we taste. Experiencing his wines is almost like learning a language. How do we perceive flavor through cultural influences, personal taste and references across time? How does our taste in wine evolve as we evolve, just as it does with music or literature? The context in which we evaluate a wine becomes crucial, inviting us to explore not only the future of wine but also its past.
Matassa Cuvée Marguerite 2024 is unfiltered and slightly cloudy, with a medium lemon color.
On the nose, it opens with grape, rose and geranium, followed by apricot compote and ripe pineapple. Layers of lemon cream, honey and wax appear alongside slightly underripe melon, daisies and elderflower,cistus finished with delicate hints of clove, nutmeg and tonka.
On the palate, the wine shows crisp acidity and vibrant freshness, with notes of orange and bitter orange balanced by a subtle sweetness. The overall impression is lively and aromatic — bursting with springtime character and unmistakably Mediterranean.
Food Pairing
Cuvée Marguerite shines at the table and works beautifully with dishes that highlight fresh herbs, vegetables and Mediterranean flavors.
Suggested pairings: Ratatouille, Spaghetti with bottarga, Fish with a herb crust.