INSIDER'S PICK: 2017 XAVIER VIGNON BEAUMES DE VENISE ROUGE (Wine Advocate 90-92points) $21.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We are also doing both a white and a red option each week, with the white wine available for the discount on Thursday and Friday, while the red wine available on Friday and Saturday. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

After a brief time unavailable in our area, Xavier Vignon wines are back in, and with a flourish of new releases. A store favorite for delivering hearty, robust Rhone wines, you are well worth trying any of the several bottlings we have in, but we wanted to focus on this one for the Insider's Pick because the appellation may cause some confusion. Even though the area of Beaumes de Venise is directly beside Vacqueyras and Gigondas, well known red wine producers, it is most known by far for making 'Vin Doux Naturels', sweet fortified wines made from the white Muscat grape. Red grapes are not uncommon to be planted there, but usually get blended into other Cotes du Rhones or Village designated wines versus being featured on their own. More wines like this will definitely change that trend. Xavier takes a unique approach with this bottling, co-fermenting all the varietals used (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault) together instead of vinifying them separately and blending together after fermentation. It's a bit more risky, and can be difficult to get all the grapes to ripen properly at the same time, but the complexity is definitely heightened. Loads of black fruits and dark spice on the nose, and impressively full on the palate; still very youthful, but was allowed some extra time in the tank before bottling so it shows some polish on the finish. This darker character is pervasive through the Xavier Vignon wines, as he tends to feature Mourvedre frequently. Put this up against any similarly priced Rhone and you will be duly impressed.

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