Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Anonyme 2019

Our favorite Rhone Rapscallion, a true genius, and innovator – Xavier Vignon is back! This time, with his 95-97 point flagship CdP! This wine is stunningly limited, and comes with all sorts of mysterious (yet legitimate) pedigree...it’s a delight to drink and talk about, and a worthy addition to your table and cellar, especially for this wicked-desirable price!

Sourced from secret parcels throughout the best plots in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this 95-97 point beauty is top of the class for master blender and winemaker Xavier Vignon. 2019’s Rhone vintage was a warm one – but that didn’t slow down or stumble one of the Rhone Valley’s most thoughtful winemakers. He picked early, fermented at cooler temps, and held off on any new oak lipstick...all to craft one of his best CdP expressions ever! Throw in nearly 50% off from the retail price – and you have a simply fantastic wine not to be missed!

Let’s start with the name. “Cuvée Anonyme” is Xavier’s ingenious method of covering his bum, legally. If you’re not already familiar with Xavier, he’s a bit of a phenom. Big-time CdP producers like Raymond Usseglio, Grand Veneur, Beaurenard, La Nerthe, and others all hired him to be their winemaker – making $200 bottles that are some of the best in the Rhone. These sacred plots scattered across Châteauneuf are exactly where Xavier is pulling fruit to craft this under-the-radar beauty!

All secrecy aside, here’s what we can tell you (apart from how much this wine rocks)...the 2019 is based on a mix of roughly 60% grenache, 15% mourvèdre, 10% syrah, and bits of grapes like vaccarèse, counoise, terret noir, and muscardin. Aromatic freshness is always a priority here, so he goes super-delicate on tannin extraction – focusing on the color first, and ensuring he doesn’t crush the seeds in the grapes releasing bitterness. It’s a delicate game – but if you’ve experienced his wines before, you’ve learned to trust in his precision and skill.

This wine drinks like top-notch, historic, estate-worthy Châteauneuf-du-Pape – but for a price nowhere near what those estates command these days. Seriously, under $40, folks! For stellar CdP juice like this...it’s just insane. The opening whiff is pure violets and lilacs, followed by hedonistically rich and powerful flavors of black currants, red plums, boysenberries, strawberries, kirsch, baking spices, sweet herbs, mocha, raspberries, lavender, roasted sage, blueberries, graphite…we could go on and on! This is luscious and full, with powerful fruit, intense spice, complexities, layers, and impeccable balance. This will age a decade-plus for sure...but really, why wait? At nearly 50% off and by far the best price in the U.S....the signs are all pointing in one direction and one direction only!