The place where the Rosemary grows
What started as a casual blind tasting turned into a quiet obsession. A rare chance to line up five vintages of Tom Lubbe's Cuvée Romanissa - from the fresh 2023 all the way back to the brooding 2006. Sun, rosemary, iron, and the wild heart of Roussillon, bottled. A night to remember.
By Boris · Hosted by Boris Buliga
My memory is unfairly bad - and highly selective. But there's one moment from last year that I remember vividly. I finally got to taste a wine I'd been dreaming of for years.
It started innocently. I brought a bottle of Cuvée Romanissa 2021 to serve blindly in Lo, and after that, a friend casually mentioned he had a bottle of 2012. Just like that. No big deal. Oh, and he could bring it next time. Long story short, we went for it immediately - and Eugene suggested we also take a bottle of Rouge 2014 from his cellar alongside for comparison. Who says no to that?
Both wines were stunning. Deep, structured, almost brooding - like they had more in common with Montalcino or Piedmont than with the usual image of young red Matassa. Even Vasyl, who's usually freakishly good at blind tasting, struggled to pin them down.
Good memories tend to stay. And since then, Serhii and I haven't stopped hunting for older reds from Matassa. Eventually, something came through, and here we are - with a full vertical dedicated to Cuvée Romanissa. We're starting with the just-released 2023 (conveniently available at Sabotage right now - and yes, you can use the barberry20{.verbatim} code to get 20% off most wines under 3300 UAH - only on purchases from their site). Then we go deep: 2019, 2014, 2013, and even 2006.
To ease into it all - because the weather called for it - we're starting the evening with a fresh skin-contact white from Tom Lubbe. You know, just to stretch the palate.
At this point, I'm not going to repeat the whole story about Tom - if you've followed us, you've heard it before. If not, I've compiled a dedicated page with some information.
But let's talk Romanissa. As far as I understand, in Catalan, "Romanissa" is a dialectal or regional word for rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) - specifically the kind that grows wild, fierce, and fragrant. It's a variant of the standard Catalan word "romaní". This ties in nicely if we're dealing with a wine or place name (like Cuvée Romanissa) --- it likely refers to "the place of rosemary" or "the place where the rosemary grows". The name makes sense. It's a wine born on red schist soils, soaked in sun and iron. In most vintages, it's 100% Lledoner Pelut - the "hairy" Grenache, native to this part of the world. Some sources say it's blended with Carignan, and maybe that's true in some years. Honestly, I've seen so many conflicting details online that I stopped trying to fact-check. Either Tom deliberately throws people off, or each vintage has its own story. At least, the counter label of 2006 vintage tells that it was a blend of Grenache Noir (70%), Carignan (15%), Mourvedre (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%).
But really, this isn't a wine about technique. It's about how it tastes - and how it makes you feel.
So if this kind of thing speaks to you, keep an eye on future announcements. Sooner or later, we'll do a vertical of his Rouge too. You'll want to be there.
| Wine | WAVG | SD | Price | QPR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pet-Nat bianco2021 La Collina Degli Amici | 3.70 | 0.08 | – | 1,024 ₴ | – | |
 Pét-nat Riesling2023 Somma | 3.94 | 0.10 | – | 866 ₴ | – | |
 Cuvée Alexandria2022 Matassa | 4.01 | 0.09 | – | 1,293 ₴ | – | |
 Cuvée Romanissa2023 Matassa | #6 | 3.99 | 0.22 | 1 | 1,467 ₴ | 0.84 |
 Cuvée Romanissa2019 Matassa | #5 | 4.09 | 0.20 | – | 2,100 ₴ | 0.86 |
 Cuvée Romanissa2014 Matassa | 🥉 | 4.29 | 0.21 | 1 | 2,200 ₴ | 1.27 |
 Cuvée Romanissa2013 Matassa | 🥈 | 4.42 | 0.18 | 7 | 3,200 ₴ | 1.40 |
 Cuvée Romanissa2006 Matassa | 🥇 | 4.45 | 0.13 | 1 | 3,400 ₴ | 1.44 |
 Mambo Sun2020 Matassa | #4 | 4.25 | 0.26 | – | 3,519 ₴ | 0.93 |
Somma Pét-nat Riesling 2023
This was a true discovery. I stumbled upon the wine by chance - and even had the chance to drink it with the winemaker, Eugene Sîrbu. While the winery is based in Ciumai (Valul lui Traian), the grapes come from their friends in Vorniceni (Codru). To avoid risking the fruit during transport, they bring in the juice rather than the grapes and complete the winemaking on site.
From what I gathered, cloudy wines don't sell well in Moldova, so they now disgorge before release - resulting in a fairly clean final product. No sulphur, low intervention.
And the result genuinely surprised me. The wine is filigree-like - subtle, with quiet strength and a sense of character, but no loud gestures. It's not rock'n'roll; it's more of a calm, deep resonance. Maybe I'm romanticising, but there's something of Eugene's personality in this bottle.
The nose is not intense, but clean and layered, with fine fruit, delicate yeasty tones, a hint of lemon-apple candy, and a touch of minerality. The acidity is sharp, the mousse is fine - it's almost hard to believe this is a pét-nat, especially from Moldova. Great fruit, long finish, juicy, super friendly, with a gentle bitterness at the end. Exceptionally well done.
Matassa Cuvée Alexandria 2022
I love this expression of Muscat. It opens with charming aromas of fallen apricot, dried herbs, tropical fruits, white flowers, and just a hint of slightly spoiled orange zest. The palate is round and rich - maybe a bit watery at moments - but the balance is nearly perfect. Bright acidity, good minerality, and a touch of VA that feels completely seamless. A charming and beautifully made wine.
Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2023
A great wine, though clearly still too young. If this had been my first encounter with Cuvée Romanissa, I'm not sure I would have fallen for it so much - but it's undeniably good. It reminds me a bit of some Poulsard or even Bastarda by Fedellos: wild strawberries, herbs, a stylish, mineral, juicy profile that's simply a pleasure to drink. The nose is a little closed, but on the palate it's vibrant, fresh, and delicious. A wine that already charms, even if it hasn't fully revealed itself yet.
Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2019
Oh, this wine has definitely developed beautifully.
Cranberry, wild strawberry, a touch of florals and spice. Fresh, with lively acidity and a good tannic grip - playing off each other nicely, giving it great structure. Lovely notes of medicinal herbs and a pleasant bitterness on the finish.
Really, really good. Yet despite the evolution, it's still clearly very young!
Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2014
Oh, now this is beautiful.
Fantastic - very much reminiscent of a natural-style Rosso di Montalcino, just with a slightly lighter body. It's complex, layered, with a lovely touch of VA, plenty of dried red fruits, and a hint of red flowers.
Great structure, lively tannins, still fresh. Intriguing, drinkable, and genuinely engaging.
Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2013
Wow, this is seriously impressive!
A beautiful nose - red berries, flowers, a touch of underbrush, spices, black pepper, and a hint of peperoncino. The tannins, acidity, and alcohol all work seamlessly with the fruit, creating great balance and long, layered transitions.
It's complex, structured, and incredibly delicious. There's a slight hint of jamminess, but the wine is so young that it feels full of potential rather than overripe. A fantastic, captivating bottle.
Matassa Cuvée Romanissa 2006
A completely different story - darker, deeper, more extractive, even heavier - an entirely different style compared to everything made since 2013. From what I remember, the 2012 was actually closer in style to 2006.
And this - this is pure magic. Red berries, dark flowers, red fruits. I can hardly believe it's a 2006 - it's preserved so incredibly well. Brilliant acidity, fantastic tannins, still so young, with so much life ahead.
Long finish, beautiful evolution, real power. There's a touch of liquorice at the very end, but it fits the structure. A complex, fascinating wine.
Matassa Mambo Sun 2020
Funky and charming - full of fermenting berries, animal farm notes, damp forest floor, and spices. Wet, burnt wood, a bit of compost, but all wrapped up in a great balance. It's fizzy, tannic, yet deliciously juicy and stylish. Slightly watery at moments, but the tannin, acidity, and structure more than make up for it. Super characterful and really fun to drink.