Matissat de La Pèira 2020

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for Matissat de La Pèira 2020

Tasting

Colour
True to the style of the cuvée, this Mourvèdre displays a deep, dense red colour with dark highlights, reflecting the concentration typical of this late-ripening grape variety grown on the gravel soils of Bois de Pauliau and Bellefeuille.

Nose
The nose opens with notes of dark fruit, supported by touches of peppery herbs, graphite and subtle meaty nuances, offering a dense and complex aromatic profile typical of Mourvèdre raised on this terroir of Quaternary gravel.

Palate
The palate is medium to full-bodied, carried by beautiful ripe tannins and a balanced texture that unfolds in several layers. The finish lingers with impressive length, hinting at significant ageing potential.

Serving and cellaring
Mourvèdre is a grape variety renowned for its ability to improve with time, comparable in this respect to Nebbiolo from Barolo or Pinot Noir from Burgundy. The Matissat 2020 is therefore designed for long cellaring and rewards patience: it is advisable to give it time to open up before serving.

A pure and concentrated Mourvèdre from Domaine La Pèira in Terrasses du Larzac

The estate
Founded in 2004 by Karine Ahton, a lawyer, and Robert Dougan, a composer, La Pèira en Damaisèla is located in the Sainte-Brigitte area, between Saint-André-de-Sangonis and Saint-Saturnin-de-Lucian, in the Hérault. Run today by its two founders, the estate cultivates a vineyard farmed under certified organic agriculture since 2020, on terroirs of deep Quaternary gravel. Recognised by international critics as one of the most interesting estates in the Languedoc, La Pèira has established itself over two decades as a benchmark of the Terrasses du Larzac.

The vineyard
Matissat comes from an extremely small plot of 0.824 hectares, spread across the lieux-dits Bois de Pauliau and Bellefeuille, in the Sainte-Brigitte area. These parcels, classified under the Terrasses du Larzac appellation for red wines, lie on Quaternary alluvial gravel derived from Jurassic limestone deposits, offering excellent drainage that is conducive to the slow ripening of Mourvèdre.

The vintage
The 2020 vintage began with a mild winter leading to early budburst. The growing season proved very dry and hot, marked by a heatwave in June. August brought some freshness, followed by a little rainfall in September, which nevertheless did not relieve the pronounced drought across the whole growing cycle, resulting in a noticeable drop in harvest volumes.

Winemaking and ageing
Matissat 2020 is vinified according to the low-intervention philosophy that characterises the estate, with indigenous yeasts and ageing in mid-sized barrels, without fining or filtration, in order to preserve the full richness and texture of the Mourvèdre.

Grape variety
100% Mourvèdre.