In the wine world we often hear winemakers referred to as “trailblazers” and “pioneers,” but rarely do you encounter someone who single-handedly saves an entire winemaking region. Yet this is exactly what Éric Texier accomplished with his stunning Syrahs from Brézème, a region situated right where North meets South in the Rhône Valley.
Thank goodness he did, as I don’t want to imagine this brilliant Syrah being lost to history. In addition to rescuing wine regions from obscurity, Eric is one of the great intellects and true thought leaders in French wine: he is a former nuclear engineer; a Bordeaux-born and Burgundy-trained winemaker; an enterprising
négociant (merchant); and a renowned expert in chemical-free farming. Call it the “Texier Touch,” but there is a clarity and energy to this wine that sets it apart, even from the other brilliant wines of the stretching Rhône Valley—a region that holds a special place in my heart. The Brézème Rouge is a singular expression of Syrah that embodies the spirit of Eric Texier: bold, open-hearted, precise. Texier has become an international wine celebrity for good reason: His wines, most of which are now tightly allocated due to overwhelming demand, are some of the purest, most authentic expressions of Rhône Valley Syrah one could ask for. With impossible elegance, gorgeously floral and mineral aromatics—and a nobility that recalls some of my favorite Côte de Beaune reds—this is a wine that belongs in the glass of any dedicated Northern Rhône enthusiast!
Eric’s successful early career as a nuclear engineer helped fund his nascent love affair with Syrah. Living around Lyon, he started collecting bottles from local vignerons, including Northern Rhône icons Raymond Trollat and Marcel Juge. Soon his passion became a new career, and in the early 1990s he decided to study enology at the University of Bordeaux. From there he went on to work at the influential Domaine Verget in southern Burgundy with the legendary Jean-Marie Guffens. He was fueled by his fascination with the traditional techniques responsible for producing his favorite wines. In this way he was a skeptic—after all, this was during an era when over-ripeness, de-stemming, new oak, and general “point chasing” was dramatically redefining the character of Rhône wines. That is most definitely NOT the direction that Eric Texier went with his own wines: In fact, he is now considered one of the leading voices for the traditionalist, non-interventionist approach to winemaking in France.
By 1995, Éric was bottling his own wines. His range draws from a variety of sources around the Rhone and Burgundy, but he also owns Syrah vineyards in the Côtes du Rhône appellation of Brézème, which lies at the southern edge of the Northern Rhône Valley. In the 19th century, the area was considered on par with Hermitage, but by the 1960s, only one hectare remained. Eric applied his uniquely scientific approach to organic farming and additive-free winemaking while revitalizing the vineyards in the region. He has spurred a renaissance and is now the leading winemaker in the vibrant, hip region of the Ardèche. His vineyards are planted on steep, south facing soils of rocky limestone and clay. Since Eric uses whole cluster fermentation for his Syrah, he must ensure that the stems are fully ripe in addition to the grapes. He attributes his ability to do this to vineyard management—he seeds cover crops between his vines three times a year and no longer plows. In 2003 he made the full conversion to biodynamic farming and is now certified (though he doesn’t label the wines as such).
Once the grapes arrive at the winery, they are allowed to begin fermentation as whole bunches in concrete tanks using ambient yeasts. Texier opts for a short maceration of 5-7 days, not looking for too much extraction but rather a gentle infusion of color and flavor. The wine remains in concrete for 15 months without racking and is bottled without fining or filtering. The resulting Syrah is one that seduces rather than exclaims—its aromas are a beautifully perfumed tangle of dark fruit and flowers. After a few minutes in the glass, it opens up with smoky blackberries, plum, licorice, lavender, violets, and flint—I recommend a quick decant to be able to capture all the aromas properly. The palate is a pitch-perfect combination of ripe, mouth-filling blue fruit and pepper-flecked mineral structure. With its spicy finish and healthy finishing acidity, this wine practically begs for a flavorful, fatty meat accompaniment. I can see it singing with a lamb shawarma and grilled eggplant. Whether you drink it now or lay it down for enjoyment over the next 5+ years, you will not find a more seamless fusion of power and finesse anywhere in the Rhône. Texier is a bona fide superstar—enjoy!
