“The southern Rhône is a place of great abundance; sometimes the skill of the winemaker is knowing when less is more. These are generous wines but there are no excesses; the result is a range of wines with great clarity and energy that aren’t tiring to drink.” Matt Walls, Decanter View the full available range from Mas de Libian here. If the last years have taught us anything, you can’t keep a good vineyard down. Hélène Thibon’s vines are made of stern stuff. Last year Mas de Libian’s vineyards came through frost, hail and torrential downpours with flying colours, with yields the only casualty. This year the vines had to contend with heat, extreme drought and then a blast of the notorious Sirocco wind that blew across the southern Rhône at hurricane-like speed. Yet, once again, Hélène’s vines have come up with the goods. The Vin de Pétanque is an absolute joy. There is more succulent density than last year’s release, yet not at the expense of energy. It’s impossible not to love. Mas de Libian’s rosé includes a good slug of Counoise—a variety that Thibon loves for its high acidity and wild strawberry fragrance—lending this release a shimmering freshness to what is one of the most beautiful rosés of the Rhône Valley. Finally, the domaine’s fragrant Cave Vinum proves just how sophisticated the whites in this part of France can be in the right hands. If there is one fly in the ointment, it is that our allocation of Pétanque is on the low side—lovers of this wine, in particular, please make haste.