Brutal Orange VdF 2024

Wine description for Brutal Orange VdF 2024 by Matassa

Colour & appearance

Muted apricot with a slight yeast haze – the visible sign of an unfiltered skin-contact wine that possesses a distinctive, almost cloudy vitality in the glass.

Nose

Pure and unadorned: peach, apricot and grapefruit zest, accompanied by sweet blossoms, aniseed, candied fennel and liquorice. Above it all hovers an iodine note, a cool, almost maritime streak.

Palate

Dry, with pure freshness, pleasant phenolics and a delicate bitter note. Salty nuances and a lively acidity provide drive and drinkability – at a spectacularly low 10.0% abv.

Finish

Long and memorable, carried by salt and fine bitterness – a wine that invites you to pour another glass.

Terroir & origin

Domaine Matassa in Calce, in the Roussillon – one of the cult estates of the natural wine scene. Tom Lubbe, a New Zealander with South African roots, farms around 20 hectares of vines, some over 100 years old, scattered across schist- and marl-dominated hills amidst Mediterranean maquis, cedar trees and wild rosemary. Where the region typically pursues power, Lubbe opts for early harvesting – and thus for freshness.

Grape variety & vinification

Macabeu from very old vines on schist-rich soils, harvested by hand. Three to four weeks of maceration with spontaneous fermentation of whole bunches, maturation in used 500-litre casks – unfiltered, unfined and without added sulphites, as has been standard practice throughout the cellar since 2015.

Food recommendations

A wine for an evening with friends and tapas: grilled octopus, fire-roasted sardines, pulpo with paprika or fried anchovies. Also a delightful choice with Asian dishes featuring fennel and citrus or a savoury semi-hard cheese.

Special features

Dedicated to the Bar Brutal in Barcelona – and drinks exactly like it: impetuous, honest and immediately accessible. While many wines in the Roussillon exceed 14%, this orange wine remains at a sensational 10.0% abv thanks to early picking – freshness instead of weight, salt instead of sweetness.