Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2000

Our favorite Rhône Rapscallion – a true genius and innovator – Xavier Vignon is back! This time, with his beautifully aged, 94 point 2000 vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape! This wine is stunningly limited, and comes with all sorts of captivating pedigree...it’s a delight to drink and talk about, and a worthy addition to your table or cellar, especially for this desirable under $70 price!

Sourced from a single plot in Châteauneuf-du-Pape among sand, pebble, and red clay soils – this deep ruby masterpiece is the top of class for master blender and winemaker Xavier Vignon. 2000’s Rhone vintage saw plenty of sunshine with the perfect amount of rain, with no dramatic weather events to account for, amounting to pleasantly plump, full-bodied, and powerful grapes for the picking – all great indicators of wines with generous structure and ageability. This 25-year-young bottling drinks silky and fresh, promising a decade and maybe even longer still to cellar and evolve!

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. This 2000 CdP follows in the footsteps of Xavier’s 1972 vintage – which was only bottled in early 2020 – sharing the same origins, though with different aging processes. The 2000 is based on a mix of 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault and Syrah, and aged according to Burgundian methods in wooden tuns and demi-muids, skipping over the concrete vessels. One thing’s for certain – if you’ve experienced his wines before, you’ve learned to trust in Xavier’s precision and skill.

This wine drinks like top-notch, impressively aged, estate-worthy Châteauneuf-du-Pape – but for a price nowhere near what those estates command these days. Seriously, under $70, folks! For stellar CdP juice like this...it’s just insane. The opening whiff is pure red cherry, sweet tobacco, and turned earth, followed by hedonistically rich and powerful flavors of black cherries, dark chocolate, brambleberry, dried roses, lavender, cinnamon, five spice, cedar...we could go on and on! This is luscious and full, with powerful fruit, intense spice, endless complexities, and impeccable balance. For a wine of this age, it’s impossibly pure and still retains seamless freshness and silky tannins with an understated power. It’s absolutely ready to pop open now, though will continue to finesse further with more years in the bottle. Get at least 3 for free shipping, and open one every few years to see just where this journey takes you!

PAIRING IDEAS: Go for this mouthwatering slow-cooked duck with green olives and Herbes de Provence for something rich, salty, and flavorful to stand next to this plush CdP!