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Biodynamic. Sourced from an assortment of different terroirs—clay/limestone, galets roulés and sandy parcels—Mas de Libian’s consistently delicious vin de soif is based on high-grown Grenache (75%) with roughly equal amounts of Mourvèdre and Syrah (all de-stemmed). There is also a little fruit from the estate’s decade-old plantings of two southern Rhône natives, Counoise and Vaccarèse. This year Hélène Thibon told us the blend also includes a splash of Couston (the natural offspring of Grenache and Aubun Noir).
Pétanque refers to the popular Provençal game of boules, and this wine is correspondingly built for splashing around with friends in casual settings. There was a short five-day maceration and the wine was raised exclusively in concrete tanks. It was bottled unfiltered, with only a smidge of sulphur employed.
Put simply, this is a wildly perfumed, succulent, juicy and irresistibly delicious high-country Rhône—purity and vibrancy are the name of the game. It opens with a tempting perfume of wild berries, thyme and soft violet before the palate rocks off the bat with silky red and purple fruit, lovely texture and refreshing powdery tannins. It closes pure and vibrant with a mineral-enriched finale. Another vivacious Vin de Pétanque (is there any other?) and born to go with anything off a smoking grill.