Xavier Vignon Vins Arcane Le Fou NV
Le who? Le Fou, that’s who!
Xavier Vignon, the mad genius of the Rhone, is back...in...STOCK! Cracking off this EPIC FRIDAY with this 96-POINTER for ONLY $20! TWENTY DOLLARS! If you know Xavier’s wines…you KNOW. It’s some sort of vinous impossibility...
“...another unique wine from this incredible winemaker.” – Jeb Dunnuck
Not only can Xavier make killer, complex, powerful, and velvety wines… but the man can DRIVE! It was only a couple of months ago that he took us off-roading through his vineyards in Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Beaumes de Venise – easily the best, rocking, rough and tumble, vineyard tour EVER! Like Mad Max, but ending with a tasting of fifteen different wines! Anywho...the wine! FIVE of the very best vintages hand-picked from the last two decades, TEN different terroirs of Southern Rhone’s top sites (a lot of Châteauneuf-du-Pape), FIFTEEN variations of grenache (rootstocks, clones, you name it)...this is a HERCULEAN effort of striking power, finesse, intensity, and yes, power again.
Fields of lavender! Mountains of cherries, velvety and powerful Kirsch, Mom’s black cherry pie, spice cake, toasted peppercorn, sweet herbs grilled over oak (yup, it’s a thing), a touch of cigar box, this wine just won’t stop! Exuberant and intense with spectacular balance and creamy, silky textures that coat the mouth, grab the tongue, and just go on forever...gadzooks, how does he do it?
Did we mention Jeb Dunnuck’s 96 POINT score?!?! At WHAT price? Rockstar-of-the-Rhone Xavier Vignon has made too many utterly delicious, high-scoring wines to count (his 100 POINT Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2010 is the stuff of legends). He has literally dozens of the top Chateauneuf producers as clients, and the lucky consulting winemaker gets his pick of the lots to spice up his own highly craveable cuvees, like this one. If you love pedal-to-the-metal old-vine grenache (plus 5% each mourvèdre, syrah, and caladoc) made in the modern Chateauneuf-du-Pape style, JUMP, climb, parkour, and sprint to get this locked in! Insanity at its very, very best. While it lasts!
The culmination of a long project from Xavier Vignon : the champagne blending style taken to its limits ! 5 vintages from the most outstanding of recent years grown in 10 different terroirs in the southern Rhône valley (including Châteauneuf du Pape, Rasteau, Ventoux and high altitude parcels in Côtes du Rhône Village). The blend is composed of 15 different, mainly late ripening variations of Grenache with a variety of rootstocks (Rupestris du Lot, Fercal, Riparia Gloire de Montpellier, 41B), clones (old clones) and pruning systems (primarily gobelet trained vines).
Technical Details
Country: FranceRegion: Rhone Valley
Appellation: Vin de France
Varietal: Red Blends
Winemaker: Xavier Vignon
Aging/Cooperage: Ageing : 1/3 in French and Austrian oak barrels, 1/3 in truncated wooden vats, 1/3 in concrete vats
Alcohol: 15.00%
About The Producer
Xavier Vignon has inherited two fundamental notions: the value of a job well done and the ability to transmit. They prove to be a driving force throughout his career. The time has come for him to express himself in his own name because Xavier Vignon wants above all to share with all lovers, neophytes or enlightened, the fruit of his passion: his wines. Oenologist consultant for twenty years in Chateauneuf du Pape and Southern Rhone Valley, Xavier Vignon is considered one of the most prominent consultants in the region. He assembles his own wines under his signature by adding a touch of modernity to the sincere expression of the Rhone terroirs. Each vintage Xavier is the fruit of a meticulous work and a rigorous selection. The diversity of the Rhone terroirs, combined with the freedom offered by small structure, allows him, vintage after vintage, to select the wines that will allow Xavier's blends to combine concentration, minerality, and nobility of the fruit.
Pairing Suggestions
Duck à l’orange - Lamb and apricot tajine - Braised rib of beef
- stuffed courgettes with rice, pesto and coriander
- Mature cheeses
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