1991 Xavier Vignon "1991" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

When I visited Xavier at his production facility in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, I was eagerly anticipating tasting with him. There was a rumor that he had just finished bottling some new special library wines. And.. when I walked into the tasting room, low and behold, there they were. The 1999, 1998 and 1991 just finished and ready to peruse. Xavier is always a little coy about the sources for these wines, he cannot divulge too much information because of agreements with the producers he works with. But for those not in the "know," these are wines where Xavier finds juice that has been held in reserve in individual wine cellars. In some cases they are from a single source and in others, they are a blend across a few barrels (or tanks) from a variety of producers. The process reminds me of some of the old Riojas from wineries like Castillo Ygay or Lopez de Heredia. He was not too specific about the source(s) for the 1991 but in the line-up it was the biggest stand-out. And that is saying something, because they were all terrific! The 1991 vintage was a good one, but it followed a trio of greats - 1988, 89 and 90. It was young drinking, so it disappeared into posterity. But since this wine has been resting in tank for so many decades, it is pristine and vibrant. The 1991 has a mineral driven nose, showing notes of lead pencil, currant, lavender and dried strawberry. The texture is seamless, almost creamy with polished tannins. This one was the most recently bottled, so it is still a little tight upon opening but after a quick decant it unfolds beautifully. I revisited this wine several times recently while I was showing it to our K&L teams and on many occasions I tasted bottles that I opened in the morning and later in the day. All excellent! Due to the long aging process, these wines are durable and they drink well, even with a lot of air on day two or perhaps longer... What an experience to show something that is so complete and complex. This will still age and develop even longer for many more years to come, if you can wait that long!