Xavier Vignon Arcane XV 2015 Vin de France Le Diable
Imagine the feeling of wrapping your body in velvet .... picture it ... feel it .... that’s what the wine is... pure, utter velvet-like in a glass. Do I have your attention? Excellent, let’s move on to this stellar producer - Xavier Vignon.
Xavier Vignon is a risk taker, a maverick winemaker. His great thirst for knowledge and experience took him on a journey all over the world- Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, California, Alsace, Bordeaux Champagne before stopping dead in his tracks in Southern Rhone. Why? It had everything that he was looking for - a variety of terroirs, altitudes and most importantly the freedom in blending. He uses the diversity of terroirs to combine freshness and balance. His expertise, scientific understanding and respect of the terroir all work together harmonioulsy to create such unique, sublime wines.
Xavier Vignon Arcane XV 2015 Vin de France Le Diable. It comes from the line of Arcane wines that Xavier produces. This particular wine is a very special cuvée soured from 17 parcels of very old Mourvèdre (some up to 100). Some of those 17 parcels are actually within the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. When those lots are blended with parcels in other Rhône villages the wine is then legally referred to as "Vin de France." Châteauneuf may not legally be declassified as Cotes du Rhone. In the Arcane series, he is even less bound by the rules because he bottles it as Vin de France. AOC regulations don't permit blending, so he blends all these amazing wines together and can call it Côte-du-Rhône - genius, right?
The first wine made from the Arcane series was called “Le Diable” which translates as “the devil”. It all started one day in 2015, Xavier advised an older grower (vigneron) who had struggled his entire life to ripen the higher altitude planted, stubborn Mourvèdre to ripen enough to include in his final wine. He told the older gentleman to leave the grapes to harvest well after the rest of his crop had ripen and see what happens. It happened to very warm fall which went late into the season. The grapes ripened to perfection. Xavier convinced the grower to sell him the grapes so he could produce a wine made just from those grapes. He brought the wine back to the grower, who upon tasting the wine began to cry. His dream had come true, to produce a wine solely from these grapes. So, Xavier named the wine Le Diable which is a nickname in the Southern Rhone for the varietal because it is so difficult and stubborn to ripen. “Xavier knew that what happened in 2015 was unlikely to be repeated. This was a wine that made itself. It was vines in the perfect place at the perfect time and this is what he wanted the Arcane series to represent. Ever since, the Arcane series are complete one offs never to be repeated.”
This wine has a deep ruby hue. Explosive aromas of black fruits - plum, blackberry, blueberries, mulberry, mixed with leather, smoke and chocolate. Palate is dry with medium+ acid, medium chalky tannins, high alcohol yet very well integrated at 15%, with medium+ intensity black fruits - plum, blackberry, blueberries, mulberry cherry, leather, smoke, milk chocolate, earthy dirt, savory black olive character violet, sage, bay leaf, licorice wow freshness, structure earthiness and savory, coarser yet fine grained tannins. It has structure yet a purity and lightness to it.
Look for meats with lots of umami like roasted crispy duck with blood orange sauce, barbeque sweet and smokey rosemary lamb chops, grilled garlic fennel pork ribs & sausage.. The spices that complement the floral character in Mourvedre are regional spices found in Provence, France such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme.
