Mas De Libian Côtes du Rhône La Calade Rouge 2020

La Calade is the Mourvèdre-dominant wine of the Mas de Libian range, finished with about ten per cent Grenache.

Calade is old Provençal for a steep, stony path, which tells you most of what you need to know about the terroir: a very low-yielding parcel of fifty-year-old vines growing in galets roulés that run between 1.5 and three metres deep. It is labelled as a humble Côtes du Rhône, yet it carries the depth usually associated with a good Gigondas, Rasteau or Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Almost half the wine is vinified in glass and porcelain jars, which Hélène Thibon finds brings more freshness than oak or steel and helps avoid reduction; the rest goes into 600-litre Stockinger demi-muids and cement. The fruit comes from a single hectare and the wine sits at an unlikely 13% alcohol, with assertive, mouth-filling tannins, seamless acidity and the savoury, earthy character the dominant variety brings.

Give it two or three years and drink over the following decade; serve at 16-18°C with braised beef, game or a mature hard cheese.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.