NV Xavier Vignon Arcane Le Fou Vin de France is sold out.

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96pt Châteauneuf-sourced red, 10 years in the making

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  • 96 pts Jeb Dunnuck
    96 pts Jeb Dunnuck
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NV Xavier Vignon Arcane Le Fou Vin de France 750 ml

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

A “Châteauneuf” Ten Years In The Making

Since October 2004, we’ve published 15,000+ stories about our discoveries on the world’s wine trails. Looking back, it’s just about impossible to find a $30 bottle from one of France’s most historic regions, boasting a 96-point rating from one of the world’s preeminent critics.

That’s exactly what we have in legendary oenologist-winemaker Xavier Vignon’s monumental Arcane Le Fou, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape–sourced blend 10 years in the making. 

Le Fou is primarily composed of ancient-vine Grenache from multiple terroirs in and around Châteauneuf, grown in the appellation’s five greatest vintages of this century: 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017. It’s a wildly aromatic, darkly concentrated 96-point collectible that Jeb Dunnuck, arguably the world’s premier authority on the Rhône, called ”singular,” encouraging readers to partake in its "full-bodied, layered, powerful yet seamless style" for the next decade and a half.   

From 2009, we went to see Xavier and Isabelle Vignon annually. Each visit included a lengthy tasting, not only of the young wines but of small batches from great vintages that he’d vinified and then held back in tank for future blends. The first of these mysterious multi-vintage creations was the 2007/2009/2010 Reserve, which earned a gushing review from Robert Parker. The second was the 2010/2012/2015 Reserve, another high-toned powerhouse that racked up 96 points.  

The intensity and high-toned complexity of those two wines sparked Xavier’s imagination, laying the groundwork for a five-vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape–inspired blend aptly named Le Fou, which includes 15 distinct, late-ripening Grenache clones. Due to the variable nature of each element of the blend, Xavier explained that it took months to arrive at the final assemblage. The payoff is right here, right now.