Reviews
Technical Details
- Blend100% Grenache
- WinemakerXavier Vignon
- CountryFrance
- RegionSouthern Rhone
- AppellationChateauneuf du Pape
- Alcohol14.5%
Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf du Pape Arcane V Le Pape 2010
“...a singular, exotic beauty that I wish every reader could taste....Hats off to the team here for having the guts to pull something like this off!”
Pull WHAT off, you ask?? This astounding wine from Rhone super-consultant Xavier Vignon and hailing from the world-class 2010 vintage that was aged in a barrel, which was...well, we’ll let Jeb Dunnuck explain it (when he was still at the Wine Advocate). CRAZY COOL! A must-have for geeky Chateauneuf lovers, plus we have the best price in America!!
WA96+: “With regards to the 2010 Châteauneuf du Pape Arcane Le Pape, I had to have Xavier explain how he made it about three times before I understood. The wine is 100% Grenache, from 15 different parcels, that was put into a barrel, then the entire barrel was put into a concrete tank, which was then filled with wine. This is a take on the underwater aging process that some people experiment with, and the result is that’s there’s no exposure to oxygen whatsoever, and the wine was kept like this for five years, with no racking or topping (since there’s no evaporation, it never needed to be topped). Inky purple in color, with a sensational, youthful bouquet of crushed flowers, blueberries, blackberries, cured meats and spice, it hits the palate with incredible richness, a thick, unctuous mid-palate and ripe, yet present tannin. It’s a singular, exotic beauty that I wish every reader could taste! I’ve not a clue how it will age, given its crazy elevage, yet I suspect it will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for two to three decades! Hats off to the team here for having the guts to pull something like this off!"
You’ll be one of the few people on Earth to own a few bottles...also, for what it's worth, the last batch of Xavier CdP sold out in hours (we got a little more, however, if you want to check it out). Xavier wines are amazingly luscious, sexy wines for the money, but man this one is on another level!