1998 Xavier Vignon "1998" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Staff Reviews

SB

Scott Beckerley

Scott Beckerley

Review Date: 10/2024

It is soooooo hard to choose between this bottling and the 2000 vintage bottles. So hard that I didn't. I put them on the same level, for different reasons. This one is nicely plump and plush with dark red berry fruit, (very) light herbs and an upper palate orange peel flavor. My choice would be to drink this delicious 1998 and though the 2000 is equally good, set it down for a little while longer and see where it goes. Though that one is also currently!

Notes

Xavier Vignon was always a scientist at heart and began his studies in pharmacology in Reims in the Champagne region. A chance encounter with an oenologist ignited his passion for wine and set him on a new path where he quickly changed his focus to winemaking. Studying winemaking in Champagne and abroad gave him a different outlook in wine production and he brought that perspective back to Montpellier in southern France where he finished his oenology degree. Accumulating years of wine experience, his career as a consulting winemaker really started in 1996. Focusing on top estates and growers in the Rhone Valley, he has created a catalog of contacts that he calls on to get some of the best fruit (that he helps grow) and makes some of the most exciting wines in the region. You'll be hard pressed to find a better value in any category!