River

Matassa is built on the old Catalan grapes of the Roussillon. Syrah has played supporting roles in its blends, but a pure Syrah from Tom Lubbe is rare, and River is a recent addition to the range. It is his answer to a grape usually made big and heavy in the south: fresh, light and low in alcohol instead.

The fruit comes from a site at about 500 metres near Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, higher than most of the domaine's vineyards. It is picked by hand and trodden by foot, and it spends just five days on its skins. Then it ages for eight months in large, old barrels.

The rest is the Matassa rule book: native yeasts, nothing added, nothing taken out. The wine goes into bottle unfined and unfiltered, with no added sulphur.

The label carries the name twice: once in letters, and once as three brushstrokes drawn as 川, the character for river in both Chinese and Japanese.

Matassa likes to say it makes pale reds and dark whites. River is the pale red, made from a grape rarely asked to be one.