2017 Xavier Vignon Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes

Product Description

Originating from Picardie in the North of France, Xavier is proud of his « Picard » roots and of his modest origins. His mother is an agriculturist and his father is a stone mason trained by the craftmans guild “Les Compagnon du Tour de France.” Xavier was brought up the hard way which has given him good, strong values: the love for a job well done, but also a certain contrarian state of mind.

His in depth knowledge of the Rhone Valley with no less than 34 harvests as an oenologist in every corner of the globe, his mentors, all the vintners he has been working with, and his incredible memory have been forging his style and identity. Xavier has been consulting for the very best wineries all his life and now dedicates his talents to his own creations.

After years of branding his wine under « Xavier Vins », the time has come for him to express himself in his own name, Xavier Vignon, as he desires before anything else to share his wines, the fruit of his passion, with people whether they are new wine drinkers, amateurs or connoisseurs.

The wine making process always favours soft diffusion of tannins versus extraction and the oenological inputs are limited as much as possible. The wines are the result of complex blends including different soils types within a same appellation to guarantee the best possible balance while reaching good complexity.

This Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre is all about red and black fruit aromas, liquorice and subtle spicy notes. The diversity of terroirs brings freshness and balance to the wine.

Clay and limestone plots located on hillsides allow the old vines of Grenache to naturally express some roasted notes. Thanks to the particular soils and orientation of the vineyards the grapes are able to reach an optimal level of ripeness while keeping a good acidity level. Some other parcels are grown on red rocky clay soils also named “garrigues”. These big red stones provide some heat coming from the sun at night and bring power and structure to the wine. The blend is also made from vines planted on sandy clay soils that are light and rather fresh soils, providing freshness and vivacity to the final wine.