Xavier Cotes Du Rhone 100% 2019

90 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Vignon’s 2019 Cotes du Rhone 100% is named not for being mono-varietal—it’s anything but—but for including parcels from virtually all of the appellations in the Southern Rhône. A blend of 40% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and the rest several other varieties and a bit of reserve wine from previous vintages, it offers a bouquet that combines garrigue with blackberries and adds subtle hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Full-bodied, concentrated and supple, it should be enjoyed over the next several years.

Vignon’s seeming obsession with minerality in wine has led to him seeking sites that express that feature (as he perceives it). He’s also experimenting with various different vessels for aging, and even submerging filled barrels within tanks of wine