96/100
Jeb Dunnuck
"The culmination of a long-standing project by Xavier Vignon".
"Vin de France Arcane Le Fou is another unique wine from this incredible winemaker. This cuvée focuses on different Grenache clones as well as just about every permitted grape variety (though it's 85% Grenache). It has a powerful, sweet nose of blueberry, black cherry, lavender and peppery incense, as well as a full-bodied, structured, powerful yet homogeneous palate. With no rough edges, silky tannins and a great finish, this is a singular wine (it's mostly from Châteauneuf Du Pape vineyards). Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
Features
Estate
Xavier Vignon
Cuvée
Arcane Le Fou
Designation
Vin de France
Region
Rhône
Grape varieties
85% Grenache (15 variations de Grenache, principalement tardif), 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Caladoc
Terroirs
Mosaic of Grenache terroirs: 10 terroirs in the southern Rhône valley (including Châteauneuf du Pape, Rasteau, Ventoux, high-altitude plots in Côtes du Rhône Village, etc.).
Viticulture
Wine made from purchased grapes or juice
Harvest
At optimum maturity
Winemaking
A Champagne-style blend of 5 of the best vintages of recent years, followed by a three-week pre-fermentation cold maceration and traditional maceration.
Breeding
1/3 French and Austrian oak barrels, 1/3 truncated wooden vats, 1/3 concrete vats
Alcohol content
15%
Tasting & pairing
Eye
Intense crimson
Nose
Intense notes of black fruits (blueberries, blackberries), lavender and pepper
Mouth
Full-bodied and dense, silky tannins, powerful finish
Serve
AT 15-17°C
Open
1 hour before
Drink before
2030+
Food and wine pairing
Enjoy with spicy spinach meat pâtés, suckling lamb with thyme blossom, rabbit with olives, recipes based on summer vegetables (ratatouille, tian, eggplants)...
Xavier Vignon
Vin de France
Expert opinion
Decanter
Area rated Recommended
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Domaine noté Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
Jancis Robinson
Recommended area
James Suckling
Recommended area
Jeb Dunnuck
Rated 96/100
Recommended area
About the wine:
Vin de France Arcane Le Fou is another unique wine from this incredible winemaker. This cuvée focuses on different Grenache clones as well as just about every permitted grape variety (although it is 85% Grenache). It has a powerful, sweet nose of blueberry, black cherry, lavender and peppery incense, as well as a full-bodied, structured, powerful yet homogeneous palate. With no rough edges, silky tannins and a great finish, this is a singular wine (it's mostly from Châteauneuf Du Pape vineyards). Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years.
Customer reviews
Customer rating
4.2/5
out of 47 reviews
Note and review by M. STEPHANE B. Published on 16/11/2024
this wine is the image of the Hulk, after 15 minutes of opening, this wine is smooth, greedy, with no sensation of alcohol despite its 15°, black fruity, spicy, lightly smoky, you could drink it as an aperitif, then its arrival on a spicy couscous, it literally transforms it, becoming powerful, square of the shoulders, dominating the dish, the alcohol showing itself to stand up to the spices and finishing on notes of white pepper, then you taste it again after the dish and it becomes soft, creamy and tender. an astonishing wine for a simple côte du Rhône, and when it's hulking it can be the equivalent of a typical grenache châteauneuf.
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Note and review by M. GILLES D. Published on 16/07/2023
A beautiful elixir in an elegant bottle! Le Fou is already irresistible with its full-bodied profile and opulent, corpulent palate, which unfolds a rich palette of stewed black and blue fruits, combined with wild notes of undergrowth, cinnamon, vanilla, a hint of licorice, a pinch of pepper, and an animal touch of leather... The dense, unctuous flesh, with cocoa accents, is backed by supple, structured tannins that carry the palate through to a long, sapid, persistent finish. This cuvée with its southern identity is not an everyday wine, but an auteur's wine. Made to keep. Its power, softened by a hint of acidity, enhanced the sweet-salty-spicy succulence of a Gers duck à l'orange, yellow turnips and glazed baby carrots. Score = 4.3.
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Note and review by M. SERGE H. Published on 23/08/2021
A superb wine
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Note and review by M. PHILIPPE P. Published on 05/01/2021
a full-bodied wine to wait a little before tasting....
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Note and review by M. GUEYDON J. Published on 02/12/2024
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Note and review by M. CHRISTOPHE F. Published on 27/10/2024
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Note and review by M. CHRISTOPHE M. Published on 17/08/2024
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Note and review by M. FRANCOIS S. Published on 03/07/2024
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Note and review by M. BERNARD D. Published on 15/05/2024
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Note and review by M. JEAN A. Published on 04/05/2024
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