Superstar cult winemaker Xavier Vignon has only produced this wine twice, in the great 2016 vintage and in 2010, in part because he aged it an extra three years in special 200-liter barrels that he completely submerged in more Chateauneuf-du-Pape…in one of the most innovative and extraordinary winemaking contraptions I’ve ever seen. Aging wines underwater has become all the rage recently, but Vignon takes it a step farther.
Here are the details:
Vignon Vinarium
Vignon developed the “vinarium” method, as a way to extend the wine’s maturation in oak without fear of oxidation. The wines are aged in specially designed oak barrels that are completely suspended in larger vats of wine. Completely immersed in liquid, there is no evaporation, no racking, no sulphur required. The wine is totally protected from oxygen. This works particularly well with Southern Rhône varieties such as Grenache, prone to oxidation during extended ageing.
Vignon explains:
Xavier’s strong desire to explore and create has led him to devise new methods of vinification and ageing. The Vinarium® is a unique receptacle created by Xavier and his team. This innovation is the culmination of several years of experimentation in a quest for the ultimate purity of wine.
The result is a 7000 litre container, made of oak and stainless steel and designed to hold within it five barrels, each with a 200 litre capacity. This receptacle provides the wines held within it with a unique ageing environment, free from all external influences, with 100% humidity and not a trace of oxygen.
Thanks to the Vinarium®, Xavier Vignon is able to fully preserve the aromas of the fruit in his creations.
