French-born Xavier Vigier has over a decade of experience shaping wine programs and service teams in some of Australia’s most respected venues, including Catalina and Ten Minutes by Tractor.
Most recently, he was the head sommelier and venue manager at Melbourne’s award-winning, wine-focused restaurant Circl, receiving the 2025 Australian Wine List of the Year Awards’ Judy Hirst Award (for the second time) for curating the country's best wine list.
As of the beginning of 2026, he is the beverage manager at Andrew McConnell’s Gimlet and its adjoining cocktail bar, Apollo Inn, in Melbourne's CBD.
Below, Xavier shares his five most memorable wines.
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2021 Domaine Danjou-Banessy La Truffière Blanche
Côtes Catalanes, France
This felt like standing in an unaltered vineyard, a reminder that as so-called classic regions shift, other places are quietly redefining greatness. The old carignan gris vines on black schist gave a wine of almost architectural detail, where texture was the true message. Smoky mineral notes, white peach and citrus moved in fine, seamless layers across the palate. It was a masterclass in how structure and touch can be more profound than sheer flavour impact.
2002 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Burgundy, France
I tasted this from a half-bottle in the cellar at the domaine in 2022, the wine never having left that cool, quiet space. It poured with an almost luminous delicacy, all chalky minerality and the finest red fruits, like wild strawberries dusted over crushed limestone. The palate felt weightless yet insistent, a long, gliding line of flavour that seemed etched rather than painted. In that moment, surrounded by barrels and silence, it defined intimacy in Burgundy.
2008 Bindi Block 5 Pinot Noir
Macedon Ranges, Australia
Opened at an industry dinner in the early stages of my career, this was the first Australian pinot that completely disoriented me. Blind, I was certain it was Burgundy – the perfume of dark cherry, spice and earth carried that same quiet authority and inner tension. When the label was revealed, it snapped my understanding of ‘New World’ neatly in half. The wine’s fine tannins, mineral thread and effortless length showed just how elevated Macedon pinot can be.
1999 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune
Rhône Valley, France
Shared in France with a very special friend, this bottle folded itself around the evening like a favourite jacket. The nose mixed smoked meat, violets, black olive and a distinct sweet-smoked paprika note that made the syrah feel both comforting and thrilling. On the palate it was vibrant and structured, all savoury depth wrapped around bright, pulsing fruit. We drank slowly, talking in circles, letting each glass stretch the night a little further than it should have.
1971 Chateau Reynella Port
McLaren Vale, South Australia
I served this recently and it felt like drinking history in real time. The wine was in remarkable shape: deep mahogany in colour, with aromas of walnut, fig, old leather and burnt sugar that rose calmly from the glass. On the palate it moved with silken ease, the sweetness held in perfect check by savoury, aged complexity. It struck me as a beautifully complete snapshot of Australian fortified tradition, a dignified reminder of a style that shaped our wine identity.
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