Walls’ hidden gems: Mas de Libian, Ardèche

Our feet crunched through layers of dry oak leaves as we climbed a pebbly path towards the vineyards behind the farmhouse. Roots go deep here. Not just the tall oaks and squat vines, but families too.

I walked the vineyards at Mas de Libian with Hélène Thibon, but it was her father Jean-Pierre that greeted me when I arrived. Hélène’s sister Catherine was out front with Bambi the horse, ploughing the sandier plots.

Later, we tasted in the winery with Hélène’s son Aurélien. Three generations of a much longer line; the Thibon family bought this estate in 1670.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for seven Mas de Libian wines

This sunny, pastoral spot in St-Marcel-d’Ardèche, the northern limit of the southern Rhône, has been inhabited for much longer than this. They’ve found Roman artefacts in the fields, and even older remains. It’s a warm place with several water sources, ideal for nourishing plants – and people.

Connection, transmission and nourishment

The French word paysan doesn’t have a direct translation into English. The closest we have is peasant, but paysan doesn’t have the same negative connotations – quite the opposite. Paysan refers to someone that understands the countryside, its ways and its produce – things to be admired in a country so enamoured with food. It’s a word that came up often as I talked to Hélène Thibon at her estate.

Although her father comes from ‘the chemical generation,’ says Hélène, he never used artificial products on this land. Thanks to his ‘bon sens paysan,’ Mas de Libian has always been organic. In 2000, they moved to biodynamics, since ‘organics didn’t nourish us enough,’ she says.

They nourish others too. At 25ha, the domaine is big enough to receive visitors through the WWOOF programme (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), a network that facilitates homestays on farms, offering free lodging, board and training in return for help with daily tasks.

‘Our main aim is to transmit,’ says Hélène.

As well as wine they produce olives, vegetables, grains and honey, and they help young winemakers learn their craft so they can strike out on their own.

Transmission of ideas, both practical and intellectual, is a family trait. Hélène’s grandfather, Gustave Thibon (1903-2001) was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature four times for his philosophical works. During World War II, he hosted fellow philosopher Simone Weil at Mas de Libian.

Hélène’s father read the poetry of Persian polymath Omar Khayyam to her from the age of six. Their exceptional Grenache-based cuvée Khayyam is named after him.

The wines of Mas de Libian

Like all their reds, they pick before the grapes get too ripe, and destem before fermenting with natural yeasts. Macerations are brief; five days for their Vin de Pétanque, and up to 21 days for their Mourvèdre-dominant La Calade.

Extraction is light, and the wines are aged in large, old oak barrels or concrete tanks.

There are some delicious whites made in this southern tip of the Ardèche, and Mas de Libian’s Cave Vinum is one of the best. The rosé, Buve Z’en, is fresh and tense.

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.

They aren’t huge in structure or concentration, but nonetheless they age well; the 2013 Khazan and 2011 La Calade are still delicious, and there’s still no hurry to drink them.

All the wines are bottled as either Vin de France or Côtes-du-Rhône. Some could be bottled under the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Saint-Andéol appellation, but they choose not to.

Perhaps these relatively lowly appellations are one reason these wines aren’t better known – or higher in price.

Or perhaps it’s because the Thibon family doesn’t market the wines as energetically as they could.

But my advice is to seek them out, as these are wines that feel nourishing to drink. Not just for the body, but for the soul.

See Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for seven Mas de Libian wines:

Related content:

Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine Richaud, Cairanne

Walls: Tasting the classic 2001 Guigal La Las

Walls: Vacqueyras 2015 vs 2016 – how are they drinking now?