2016 Xavier Vignon Gigondas Arcane L'Hermite
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The man behind Xavier Vins, Xavier Vignon, has been described by Jeb Dunnuck as "easily one of the best winemakers in the Southern Rhone". He has earned this reputation both as an expert consultant to over 250 wine producers and a talented oenologist in his own right, with a gift for finding and vinifying parcels of land that result in simply superb wines. Xavier's biggest project to date, the Arcane series will be released over the next decade, with two new additions to enjoy every year. Each of the wines will take their name from the mystical 20-card tarot deck, the Major Arcana. Released only once, as the sole expression of a vintage, they will then disappear to be replaced by new Arcanes originating from different blends and terroirs. Each Arcane release is a seriously limited edition with only a few thousand bottles produced. Avid followers will remember the 2010 Arcane V Le Pape – a ground-breaking cuvee where the wine in barrel was submerged in a concrete tank of Chateauneuf-du-Pape to eliminate any oxygen contact in the barrel. In the 2016 vintage, L’Hermite follows this same avant-garde approach. 2016 was a wonderful vintage in Gigondas, especially in the high elevation sites where sunshine levels were ideal for producing small yields of perfectly concentrated juice. Small barrels of the blend (80% Grenache; 7% Mourvèdre; 5% Syrah; 4% Muscardin; 4% Picpoul Noir) from these specially selected parcels were then placed in large concrete tanks of Gigondas, ensuring the Grenache in particular maintains absolute purity of fruit. Unconventional, perhaps; exciting and with magnificent results, definitely.
Punteggi della critica
Jeb Dunnuck
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
Altre recensioni e punteggi
From steeper slopes, the 2016 Gigondas Arcane L'Hermite checks in as 80% Grenache, 7% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, Muscardin, and Picpoul Noir that was aged in a submerged barrel. It's another beautiful wine from Xavier that has loads of blackberries, spice, dried herbes de Provence, and loamy soil. It's elegant, seamless and silky, with beautiful purity and elegance. It's going to benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for a decade.
The 2016 Gigondas Arcane VIII L'Hermite likely won't be released for three to four years, said Vignon (it's already bottled). It is linear, tight and crisply focused, so no doubt he's right about when it will be approachable. Cedar frames bright cherry fruit in this medium to full-bodied GSM blend.
Informazioni sul produttore
Xavier Vignon has become one of the Rhône Valley’s most accomplished winemakers. Despite not owning his own vineyards, Vignon’s experience consulting for over 500 different vignerons in the region has given him incredible access to some of the Rhône’s finest terroirs.