B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
Regular readers of these pages are no stranger to the stunning wines being produced by Xavier Vignon. Xavier has established a flawless reputation working with such luminaries as Marcoux, Grand Veneur, Raymond Usseglio and others. Through these relationships, he has gained access to incredibly pristine parcels of very old vine plantings across the valley where he works with centenarian vines of Grenache and Syrah as well as 75-85 year old plots of multiple other varieties.
The blend for the Soliel – 80% Grenache from 100 year vines, 10% Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, and 10% Syrah from 50 year old vines with yields very low; one bottle per vine. Terroir selection is based on mineral salt concentration and density in vineyards from nine villages. Xavier is looking for freshness through both altitude and exposure. Seems he found it. Ridiculous bargain.
This beauty is a ridiculous bargain. I have blind tasted colleagues on this several times, after a tasting through a line up of wines they peddle – honestly to break the monotony. Their blind responses are reasonable. The aromatics say CDP, specifically – recalls the serious terroir east of town, very La Cras-like. Gorgeous wine. Of course I press the pros for a price range – $40-$50 range the consensus. They are basically spot on.
Maybe the best Cotes du Rhone Villages that you have ever tasted too. |