Friday Night Wine School -- Radical Rhones, Wines by Xavier Vignon

Join us for our attendance-limited, signup-only Friday night tasting!  Depending upon the weather, tastings are held on the patio or the back of the shop with a max of 10 people per time slot.

Xavier Vignon, super-consultant in the Rhone, marches to the beat of his own drum and has become one of the Rhône Valley’s most accomplished winemakers. Despite not owning his own vineyards, Vignon’s 25+ years of experience consulting for over 500 different vignerons in the region has given him incredible access to fruit from some of the Rhône’s finest terroirs, as well as plenty of experience in how best to handle them.  A self-confessed alchemist with a scientific, oenological background, Vignon has not been afraid to experiment, blending vintages and producing unusual one-off bottlings (known as the Arcane series). He is today one of the region’s most inquisitive, radical and accomplished winemakers.

Xavier has no problem blending a Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a Côtes du Rhône village cuvee to make it a better wine only for it to be downgraded to a Vin de France because Châteauneuf-du-Pape cannot be included in a blend and be titled Côtes du Rhône Villages.  Or making a nonvintage blend of Syrah from the northern Rhone with Grenache from the south - how about a 100% Mourvedre from a single parcel near Vinsobres?   His interest lies in how it tastes, accentuating the multifaceted variety and complexity that exists in the Southern Rhône, rather than the traditional restraints of the appellation system. 

Unconventional aging vessels also intrigue Xavier - clay amphora, specially made glass tanks, even experimenting with aging wines in the ocean with his own invention of submerging a tank of wine within another bigger tank of wine,  he is always pushing the envelope.  This is a maverick winemaker whose wines today are some of the most exciting in the Southern Rhône.

While he makes a few whites and rosé, his reds are so intriguing that this will be an all red wine tasting event (except for maybe a delicious  white dessert wine) and I'm so looking forward to meeting with Brennan Bergeron today to figure out the lineup.  Don't miss this chance to taste wines from this superstar winemaker - we promise you will be impressed!

  Here's how it will work: 

-You sign up for a time slot where you will taste with 9 other people. It is $5 to attend but you will receive that $5 back with the purchase of a bottle of any of the wines presented. If you are a couple or with a group, you can purchase up to 10 spots for a time slot if available. Use the green button above to reserve your spots.  $5 refund is one per attendee per bottle from the event only.
-We will hold our tasting outside on the patio from 5:30 PM to 8 PM on Fridays weather permitting. If it rains we bring the event inside to the back of the store.
-Please arrive 5 minutes early for your time slot as we may not be able to move you to another spot.
-No waiting in line for your taste of wine in a plastic cup and snippet of info. During your time slot, you will have the presenter's undivided attention as you learn about and taste the wines from Riedel glassware.
-When your tasting is over you can browse and shop or enjoy a glass or bottle at our indoor and outdoor tables.