Sunday, March 3, 2013

2007 Matassa Cuvee Nouge Blanc

Roussillon

This white wine is from the Roussillon region of France.  The Roussillon region is tucked in the southern part of the country, the hills of the Coteaux du Fenouillèdes to be precise, and is one of the oldest wine regions in the world.  Domaine Matassa is owned by two New Zealanders, Sam Harrop and Tom Lubbe, who use biodynamic techniques which let nature take its course with the grapes and harvest. I had a stunner of a bottle, the 2007 Matassa Cuvee Nouge Blanc.  This wine is a blend of Muscat, Macabeu and Viognier and is un-oaked.

On the nose: French's® Classic Yellow Mustard and sea foam that just rolled off the beach.  Wine shouldn’t smell like this, right? You keep on going back to the glass to smell.  Lemon/lime zest. Obscure smells here.  Even though it sounds offensive, it all melds together quite nicely.  Imagine yourself walking the shore line in Dewey Beach, Delaware (Drink a couple Lighthouse Orange Crush while you’re there) and you come across some seashells.  You pick them up and take a sniff and, to your surprise, they are covered in mustard.

Palate: Acidic, very tangy.  A feeling of thick consistency in the mouth.  Has some body and weight.  Give it a swirl and check the glass – it has legs like a Russian gymnast. Smile producing.  May sound weird, but for this white wine I would even consider decanting. Will make you salivate. I feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs.  Woof!


Rating Scale (out of 5 +):
++++½

Price: $15 (bought this in 2010 on sale usually $27+ if you can find it)



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