2019 Xavier Vignon Lirac (750ml)

Grenache from Lirac, Rhône, France

B-21 Top Recommendation
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Start with an exceptional, cult favorite winemaker from the Southern Rhone, add in the lesser known Lirac appellation just across the river from Chateauneuf du Pape and mix in the best old vine fruit from the AOC’s top growers and you’ve got a foolproof recipe for one of the region’s best bargains, the beautifully crafted and unabashedly appealing 92 pt. 2019 Xavier Vignon Lirac boasting fresh vibrant dark fruit with hints of peppered spice and flinty graphite on a long-lived finish and without a doubt an outstanding red wine value.

Described by Jeb Dunnuck as “easily one of the best winemakers in the Southern Rhone,” Xavier Vignon has been well known for decades as a top consulting enologist among the “big dogs” of Chateauneuf du Pape including Marcoux, Raymond Usseglio, La Nerthe and La Mordoree while establishing a solid reputation for his own label’s consistently top-rated CDP’s and Southern Rhone blends since 2007. After honing his winemaking skills throughout the Northern and Southern hemispheres and studying the art of blending in Champagne, Vignon made his way to the Rhone in the late 1990’s and over the next 40 years built a formidable network of growers in the region that gives him exclusive access to pristine old vine plantings, and because he doesn't actually own an estate, his overhead is nominal. Sourced from 12 sustainably farmed parcels, the vines for the 2019 Lirac average 40 years of age, planted on alluvial terraces of pebbles and red clay covered in rounded “galet” stones mirroring the terroir of nearby Chateauneuf du Pape. A blend of 80% Grenache with 20% Syrah, Xavier co-fermented the grapes to boost aromatics before aging 70% of the 2019 Lirac in concrete tank for 12 months to preserve freshness and the remaining 30% in barrels to build structure, yielding pure textured fruit hinting of garrigue with finessed, fine tannins and a “lip-smacking drinkability factor” according to the Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski.

From a Southern Rhone vintage yielding “delicious, rich and vivid wines” according to Decanter’s Matt Walls, the over-achieving 92 pt. 2019 Xavier Vignon Lirac is expertly crafted from old vines sharing the same soil and climate as Chateauneuf du Pape at a fraction of the price, a seamless blend of fresh polished fruit and lush, layered complexity that's insanely underpriced and a surefire recipe for stocking up.

92WA

An 80-20 blend of Grenache and Syrah, Vignon's 2019 Lirac is drawn from multiple parcels with galets roulés over clay soils. Roughly one-third went into oak, while the rest stayed in tank. It may be the most complex of the various Vignon "Signature" offerings, marrying hints of garrigue and licorice with mixed berries and hints of oak. It's medium to full-bodied, silky and forward, with the same lip-smacking drinkability factor that marks all of Vignon's wines on the finish.

92 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Sep 2020)

Alcohol By Volume: 15.0%

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$19.99

This item is a pre-order estimated to arrive 9/5/2024. 60+ bottles available.

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