2016 Xavier Vignon Arcane L'Hermite (750ml)

Grenache from Gigondas, Rhône, France

B-21 Top Recommendation
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Crafted by standard-setting Rhone winemaker Xavier Vignon, the stunning 94 pt. 2016 Xavier Vignon Arcane L’Hermite offers fresh, vibrant fruit with nuances of garrigue and earthy spice and savory, fine grained tannins, an elegant, age worthy Gigondas from old vine Grenache that ranks among the Southern Rhone's most outstanding values.

After honing his winemaking skills in Champagne and top regions around the globe, Xavier Vignon began his illustrious consulting career in the Rhone Valley in the mid-1990’s, working with an array of luminaries including Marcoux, Raymond Usseglio and La Nerthe over the next few decades and taking advantage of his insider access to some of the valley’s oldest vines to craft his first Arcane series release in 2015. Sourcing from over 25 low yielding parcels, the terraced vineyards for the 2016 L’Hermite lie just below the limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail, the cooling effects of the mountains requiring extended hangtime to allow the grapes to ripen evenly and adding depth and complexity. Sourced from a superb 2016 growing season, the Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah were fermented together in concrete then aged in truncated wooden vats, while Xavier aged small amounts of Muscardin and Picpoul Noir in untoasted oak barrels. Utilizing the patented Vinarium system he created with his team, Xavier submerged some of the barrels in a wine-filled 7,000 liter oak and stainless steel tank for a year, the unique 100% humidity environment preventing any oxygen from contact with the wine. Blending the submerged and traditionally aged barrels before bottling, Xavier cellared the lush 2016 Arcane L’Hermite for an additional four years, yielding a harmonious and balanced Gigondas described by Jeb Dunnuck as “elegant, seamless and silky” that promises to reveal its layered complexity over the next decade.

Naming each Arcane release after a card in the Tarot deck with matching illustrations on the labels, the formidable 94 pt. 2016 Xavier Vignon Arcane L’Hermite is crafted by the ingenious Xavier as a pure and masterful expression of impeccable fruit from an outstanding vintage, a terrific value that his ardent fans know not to miss and a sure bet for lovers and collectors of exceptional Southern Rhone reds.

94JD

93WA

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.

94 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Aug 2018)

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.

93 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Issue # 239 - Oct 2018)

Alcohol By Volume: 14.5%

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$43.99

60+ bottles in stock. Ships in 1 to 2 business days.

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