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DOMAINE GAUBY MUNTADA 2018 bottle illustration

Original bottle illustration — Bacchus Global

Roussillon, France

DOMAINE GAUBYMuntada 2018

Deep in the Roussillon backcountry, on the sharp limestone-and-marl slopes of Calce, Muntada is the wine through which Gérard Gauby chose to step outside the boundaries of the AOC, releasing it instead under IGP designation as a way of pursuing his own idea of what the land could say. Grapes ripen slowly under the constant push of the Tramontane wind, and everything that follows in the cellar aims simply not to get in the way of what the site already has to say.

Wine type
Red wine
Grape
Appellation
IGP Côtes Catalanes
Origin
Calce, Roussillon, France
Drinking window
2024–2038
Recommended temperature
16–18°C
Alcohol
Bottle size
750ml

About Muntada

Domaine Gauby is based in Calce, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, where Gérard Gauby has spent decades pursuing organic and agroecological farming across the estate's varied parcels. His son Lionel, trained at Mas Jullien, has led winemaking since the 2008 vintage, continuing a hands-off approach in the cellar.

Muntada is the domaine's flagship red, released under the IGP Côtes Catalanes designation rather than the stricter regional AOC, a choice made to allow more freedom in the cellar. The fruit is drawn from parcels in Calce planted mainly on limestone-marl soils, with a portion of Syrah grown on darker, black marl ground.

The IGP Côtes Catalanes designation is a deliberate choice, stepping outside AOC rules to allow greater winemaking freedom.All grapes are harvested entirely by hand and carried in small crates.Fermentation relies on native yeasts, with the wine bottled unfined and unfiltered.Aging takes place in old foudres and concrete tanks.The 2018 vintage received 97 points and a Coup de Coeur from La Revue du Vin de France.

Taste profile

In the glass

Ripe cherry leads a layered core of red and black fruit — blackberry, cassis, blood orange — set against thyme, pepper and liquorice spice, leather, dried rose, cedar and cacao, with a floral garrigue lift and a faint animal, fur-like edge.

The attack is supple, opening into a full, fleshy mid-palate. Fine, almost powdery tannins sit within a silky texture, held together by fresh acidity, and the finish is long, saliva-inducing and marked by lingering spice.

Deep, concentrated, intense ruby.

Before it reaches the glass

01

Temperature

Serve starting around 16°C, allowing the aromatics to unfold as the glass warms.

02

Timing

Drinking window: 2024–2038.

03

Glassware

Burgundy-style glass, or a Rhône-style glass suited to Syrah and Grenache blends.

At the table

Muntada's structure — ripe fruit, gentle spice and fine, silky tannin — gives it range across different culinary traditions.

Dishes with savory depth, warm spice or a touch of char tend to sit well alongside the wine's fruit and tannin, while its freshness keeps richer preparations in balance.

Japanese

  • Duck and scallion soba (kamo nanban)
  • Miso-braised beef tendon
  • Charcoal-grilled mushrooms

Why it worksThe savory-sweet broth and umami depth echo the wine's ripe fruit and spice, while its fine tannin and freshness cut through the richness of the broth.

Thai

  • Beef massaman curry
  • Grilled pork neck with jaew dip
  • Duck larb

Why it worksWarm spices such as cinnamon and cardamom in the curry mirror the wine's own spice notes, and the herbal, peppery character of larb and jaew plays against its dark fruit and freshness.

Western

  • Roast lamb with thyme and rosemary
  • Venison or wild boar civet
  • Aged Comté or Ossau-Iraty cheese

Why it worksHerb-roasted lamb picks up the wine's garrigue and spice, silky tannin sits comfortably with the richness of game stew, and firm aged cheese matches its structure and length.

Pairing guide — Wine

From cellar to bottle

Winemaking

Harvest is entirely by hand, and much of the fruit is fermented as whole clusters using native yeasts. The wine is aged in old foudres and concrete tanks before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Product detail

Muntada is released under IGP Côtes Catalanes rather than the region's AOC, a choice made to allow more freedom in the cellar. Fruit comes from parcels around Calce, planted mainly on limestone-marl, with some Syrah on darker, black marl ground. Bottled in 750ml.

Origin

AppellationIGP Côtes Catalanes (formerly AOC Côtes du Roussillon Villages)
LocationCalce, Pyrénées-Orientales, Roussillon, France — around 20km northwest of Perpignan
SoilsA mix of limestone, marl and schist; Muntada is planted mainly on limestone-marl, with some Syrah on darker black marl
Founded1985, when Gérard Gauby began estate-bottling on his grandfather's original vineyard of around 5ha

Calce sits under a Mediterranean climate with more than 300 sunny days a year, and the dry Tramontane wind that sweeps down from the northwest keeps the vines consistently dry, supporting organic farming across the estate.

Official producer website

Recognition

97/100 + Coup de Coeur

La Revue du Vin de France (RVF)

Awarded to the 2018 vintage in the RVF 2021 guide.

Trade information

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