Tom Lubbe was born in South Africa and grew up in New Zealand. After initially working for Louise Hofmeyer at Welgemeend in South Africa, he was really interested in working with Mediterranean varieties, so Louise recommended Domaine Gauby in Calce to him. He worked here for a while and met his wife, the sister of Gérard Gauby. He continued to buy more and more vineyards in steep areas, which also meant cheap because most winemakers didn't like all the work that goes into farming. Lots of these vineyards are based on different varieties mixed together, which inspired Tom to play even more with field blends. It goes without saying that he is very much into farming his 15 hectares bio-dynamically.
This red is unique, as it's a field blend with a good amount of white grapes mixed in. All grow together in a 45-year old vineyard and are all picked at the same time. They go through a carbonic maceration with whole bunches for a little over a week and then the pressed juice ferments and ages for seven months in cement vats. It's an incredible explosion with lots of berry aromas and some proper southern herbs and black olives mixed in. With its juicy fruitiness, it works well many savory foods like goulash, but also with vegetarian curry.