Description / Reviews
// Organic and Biodynamic, 75% Grenache, 25% Syrah
"Bout d’Zan: A nickname given to my father when he was a young boy to describe his short stature and his dark complexion. Today, we use it to evoke the notes of black licorice in this wine. This is a red wine that can be set aside and aged for many years, but you can also (very easily) drink it now. It’s good-humored and enjoys good company; it will be joyful as an aperitif at a picnic, will be happy with a last-minute meal with friends, yet will not lose its personality or presence if invited to dine with the mother-in-law." - Mas de Libian, Winemaker
"This gem has become one of the smartest buys in our portfolio. It’s drawn from 40-year-old biodynamically-managed vines rooted throughout Mas de Libian’s highland Ardèche soils: some galets roulés (rolled alluvial ‘pudding stones’), sandy clay and lower-lying parcels on limestone soils. Give or take a few bunches, the blend is 75% Grenache with 25% Syrah. The varieties co-ferment—Hélène’s father once told her, “The earlier you consummate the marriage, the better the relationship!”—and mature in a mix of Stockinger foudres and cement vats. Thibon included some ripe Syrah stems in this year's ferment to add freshness and lift.
Bout d’Zan is always packed with flavour and tongue-rolling texture, offset by wonderful energy, poppy-edged freshness and high-country finesse. The new release is particularly easy to love: the silky waves of liquorice-spiked blackberry fruit; the creamy core woven with savoury minerals and finely spun tannin; and the energetic, smoky red berried lift on the finish. Another beauty spot on the cheek of the Southern Rhône." - Bibendum, Importer