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: Xavier Vignon "Arcane Le Fou" Vin de France

Xavier Vignon "Arcane Le Fou" Vin de France

SKU #1500714 96 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark The NV Vin de France Arcane Le Fou is another unique wine from this incredible winemaker. This cuvée focuses on different clones of Grenache as well as just about every permitted variety out there (although it’s 85% Grenache). It has a big, sweet nose of blueberries, black cherries, lavender, and peppery incense as well as a full-bodied, layered, powerful yet seamless style on the palate. Inner quote mark (8/2019)

K&L Notes

Xavier Vignon was always a scientist at heart and began his studies in pharmacology in Reims in the Champagne region. A chance encounter with an oenologist ignited his passion for wine and set him on a new path where he quickly changed his focus to winemaking. Studying winemaking in Champagne and abroad gave him a different outlook in wine production and he brought that perspective back to Montpellier in southern France where he finished his oenology degree. With years of wine experience under his belt, his career as a consulting winemaker really started in 1996. Working with top estates and growers he has created a catalog of contacts that he calls on to get some of the best fruit (that he helps grow) and makes some of the most exciting wines in the region. Using that Champagne sensibility, he has created many different cuvees that defy the regional mold using multiple vintages and different terroirs to express something new and exciting. Le Fou is maybe one of his greatest achievements in his Arcane series. A blend of 5 vintages across 10 terroirs, primarily Chateanueuf, with Ventoux, Rasteau and other Cotes du Rhone Villages thrown in for good measure. It is a blend meant to express the diversity of Grenache's variations and clones but has small amounts of Mourvedre, Syrah and Caladoc for some added complexity. He calls it the "Champagne style taken to its limits!" This is a full and fleshy wine from one of the great winemakers in the Rhone.

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Xavier Vignon "Arcane Le Fou" Vin de France

Price: $24.99

Quantity:

JD: 96

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Product Reviews:

By: Keith Mabry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 12/23/2020 | Send Email

Xavier Vignon continues to stun with each of his releases. Having worked with top growers as their consulting winemaker for almost two decades, Vignon has access to the best fruit. The Arcane series is unique in that it is informed by Xavier's beginnings in Champagne. Fractional blending, different sites, different clones, different vintages are just some of the tools he uses to make a sum-greater-than-it's-parts blend. Le Fou is primarily Grenache from a multitude of interesting clones all from his favorite terroirs. There is Ventoux, Rasteau and of course, Chateauneuf. This is a lusty bottle of wine with deep Chambord and kirsch flavors. It is opulent but like all of Xavier's wines, it has balance. Not heady, just sumptuous. With so many interesting wines from this producer this year, including the 2001 and 1972 Chateauneufs, is there room for something like this? How can their not be? This is something new and exciting to behold!

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Rhone Blends

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Rhone

- Legendary wine-producing region in southeast France. Stereotypically speaking, Rhone wines are high in alcohol, and the majority produced is red. The northern Rhone is best known for outstanding 100% Syrah wines from areas such as Cote Rotie and Hermitage, as well as for fabulous white wines from Condrieu (where Viognier is king). In the southern Rhone, look for spicy, full-bodied wines that are blends of Grenache, Syrah, and other varietals coming from appellations such as Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, or Rasteau. Wines labeled as Cote du Rhone or Cotes du Rhone Village (a cut above generic Cotes du Rhone) are frequently found here in the US because they often represent some of the best values on the market.