Smoky black tea and peat; dark berries; resinous scrub; and mouthwatering intimations of salt and pan drippings already in the nose of Matassa's 2008 Cuvee Romanissa intimate that this bottling based on the Lladoner Pelut variation on Grenache is going to offer distinctive and compelling savor, and the nose does not deceive. Palpably extract rich yet buoyant and with an almost electric sense of invigorating energy as well as gripping finishing piquancy of rosemary, peat, and chili peppers, this should be worth following for at least the better part of a decade. Tom Lubbe - for much more about whose work, consult my report in issue 183 - continues to experiment and fine tune, and there are some new cuvees and ideas here since I last visited. Speaking of which, beginning with 2011, Lubbe will have some old and impeccably cared-for foudres to utilize, as he was able to pick them up from Weingut Georg Breuer in Rudesheim whose cellar renovations were incompatible with their largest barrels. (Pity the freight company tasked with trucking them up to Calce!) I quizzed Lubbe this year about his reliance on so little sulfur; and he sought to assure me that "'tis enough, 'twill serve." But he also noted that contrary to widespread practice among advocates of low sulfur, he applies his sole dosage not at bottling, but rather right after the wine comes out of malo, so as to shock it only once; to have longer to observe the emergence of any potential problems; and above all because he believes that this is the most vulnerable moment in a wine's elevage, and hence the point, if any, at which it requires sulfuring. Lubbe notes that despite the drought in 2008, his vines produced a larger crop (relatively speaking!) than in other (warmer) recent vintages. He shares an opinion I heard from quite a few growers in the wake of recent experience that ultimately it's heat, not drought, that by promoting shut-down wreaks mischief with quality. (Incidentally, New Zealand-born Sam Harrop M.W. - known inter alia for his work in the Loire - is now no longer a partner in Matassa.)Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334 8191