2022 Mataburro Totem
WINEMAKER: Laurent Roger & Melissa Ingrand
REGION: Roussillon, FR
VARIETY: Mourvèdre, Grenache
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
"Mourvèdre (mainly) and Grenache from a vineyard of startlingly-black shist with limestone and quartz. It's picked a little later than the other parcels but is still only 12.5% ABV. The first year he made this a part was aged in wood and amphora but when we saw Laurent last year he thought he would keep it all in stainless steel. They are harvesting at the moment and we are not sure what the final decision was. We suspect, from the way it tastes, there was no wood involved this year. It is the only true red wine Laurent makes but still fresh and juicy with good acidity. 12.5% ABV." - Living Wines
Mataburro is a small domaine established in Roussillon by rising stars Laurent Roger & Melissa Ingrand. Laurent worked for several years at the venerable Paris bar à vin Le Verre Volé and after that returned to Roussillon to work directly with Alain Castex, then of Le Casot des Mailloles. Towards the end of 2017, armed with what he had learned from Castex, he and Melissa took over the remaining three hectare vineyard from his father, swiftly converting to organics and biodynamics. Alain Castex taught Laurent the importance of the soil. He also had this concept reinforced by Tom Lubbe and Axel Prüfer.