Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris & Macabeu, Côtes Catalan, France

An aromatic, botanical and zero-zero wonder of the natural wine world. Matassa’s 20 hectares are huddled at the foot of the Pyrenees, treated with biodynamic and organic practices, and see as little intervention as possible in the cellar. Working with old vines of locally famous Catalan varieties (think carignan, grenache, macabeu, muscat d'alexandrie & muscat de petits-grains), year after year their wines offer a complete and unadulterated snapshot of this unique region.  ‘Olla Rouge’ is a scintillating blend of 30-year-old, low yielding vines of spiced n’ berried grenache noir (60%), mineral grenache gris (20%) and floral macabeu (20%) from clay and limestone dense soil. Semi-carbonically macerated for 12 days, then gently pressed, fermented and aged in concrete tanks, this cuvée boasts concentration and an ethereal grace we wait to taste every year. Confected cherry, pink peppercorn florality, strawberry popping candies, scrubby thyme and rosemary scratch at the sides of your tongue, lapsang souchong & a wrecking ball of minerality knocks down any and all preconceived notions of what the south of France has to offer. Enjoy while reading through your first bird ID book and dog-earing the page on the Kirtland Warbler – aka ‘the firebird’, and Ontario’s rarest!