2020 Xavier Vignon Cuvee Vieilles Vignes Cotes du Rhone 750 ml

We read the trades as diligently as ever. 

From the big ones—Advocate, Spectator, Vinous, Dunnuck, et al.—down to insider rags read by about 11 winemakers and viticulturists, we’re always scanning the publications, looking for a new name to jump off the page. 

But we still haven’t hit the jackpot like we did with Xavier Vignon.

It was over a decade ago when we read Robert Parker’s first words about the rising-star Rhône enologist. The great critic couldn’t contain himself about Vignon’s wines, and when we finally took a sip, we thought that Parker, uncharacteristically, might have UNDERSOLD Vignon’s immense talent!

Here’s why: Vignon boasted the chops to make Châteauneuf with Philippe Cambie and the rest of the Rhône’s best, but he was unbound and unafraid to break convention. Non-vintage bottlings, wines aged in barrels submerged in more wine—he experimented in things that most winemakers would be too timid to try. He dared, he dreamed big, and damned if he didn’t hit the bullseye just about every time.

That success—he’s now one of the most in-demand consultants in southern France—has led him to unlock fruit sources that most winemakers in the region could only dream about.

For this Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Côtes du Rhône, that means selected parcels of old-vines that are Châteauneuf quality, but located in the less-expensive land in the Vaucluse. The vines average over 70-years old making it rich and powerfully fruited, with the velvety soft tannins and full body that we’ve come to adore from Xavier’s wines. It’s a perfect bottle with hearty meals on cool spring evenings, or with grilled fare as the weather warms.