In three years, this is the first time we’ve been able to offer a wine from Rhône legend and pioneer Eric Texier. Eric is a zen master of organic and herbicide-free farming, a deeply respected mentor for the global wine community, and an exceptional talent in the cellar.
For the last decade, his wines have enjoyed a fanatical following in America’s hippest restaurants and wine bars, and in our own cellars. They drink beautifully on release; are flattered by cellar aging; and are some of the most healthful and environmentally friendly wines on earth. Texier is the perfect philosophical and stylistic midpoint between Burgundy and the Rhône. The only downside is that every time we’ve attempted to purchase enough Texier to offer on SommSelect, the wines have already sold out. So, today is a victory years in the making—and we are doubly thrilled to share one of Eric’s most fascinating wines, his 2013 Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Vaison-la-Romaine. This perfumed, Grenache-driven red will completely change your perception of this grape and region.
Vaison-la-Romaine is the “village” in this Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, a picturesque town a little ways north of Gigondas in the Vaucluse. One of Texier’s calling cards has been his embrace of lesser-known villages like this; he’s perhaps best known for showcasing two almost-forgotten terroirs in the Ardèche—Brézème and Saint Julien-et-Saint Alban—which sit at a near-midpoint in the Rhône Valley. On the whole, Texier’s lineup includes many outliers, both geographically and stylistically: rarely (if ever) do his wines fit neatly into traditional ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ Rhône stereotypes.
Texier is one of the most fascinating minds in wine. In the 1990s, following a love affair with ancient Côte-Rôtie and general disillusionment with his work as a nuclear engineer, Eric dove headfirst into wine—first as a gifted graduate student at the University of Bordeaux, then at Verget in southern Burgundy. He has since become something of a legend, for three reasons: First, as noted above, he has shined a light on vineyard areas that were once prominent but had fallen into disrepair and neglect. Today, these villages produce Eric’s finest wines—always my preference to his Côte-Rôtie and Châteauneuf bottlings. Second, Eric is a brilliant and outspoken skeptic. His ability to process and share his uniquely scientific approach to organic farming and additive-free winemaking is highly valued among his peers. Finally, Eric has mastered a minimalist, “old school” Burgundian approach while working Rhône terroirs. The result is a strikingly diverse range of perfumed, balanced, refined wines that perfectly express their variety and village of origin.
His 2013 Vaison-la-Romaine is predominantly Grenache, with small amounts of Carignane and Cinsault, from 40-year-old vines. Texier farms organically, with some biodynamic treatments (none of which is mentioned on the label), and employs whole-cluster fermentation in cement vats (the use of whole clusters being perhaps the main reason even his southern Rhône wines have so much lift and grip). Vaison-la-Romaine is in ‘baby Châteauneuf’ territory, with key appellations such as Gigondas and Vacqueyras close by, but there’s no way you’d place Texier’s Vaison-la-Romaine in that company. Instead of a rich, warm, viscous version of southern Rhône Grenache (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you) you get a floral, crisp, buoyant red that has more in common with a Burgundy Pinot than a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The wine emerges directly from the bottle with a bright blast of cherries, wild strawberries, strawberry leaf, rhubarb, air-cured meats and Provençal herbs. As is Texier’s signature, the wine’s vibrant red fruit and tingly minerality enliven the palate, versus shellacking it with viscous, overripe fruit and alcohol. In my experience, all Texier reds become softer and aromatics grow deeper and more exotic with age, so this will be an inspiring and educational wine to stash in your cellar for 3-5 years. I personally won't be hesitating to pull a cork on it this weekend. I recommend decanting for 30 minutes before serving at 55 degrees in medium Burgundy stems. Texier’s Grenache-based reds are a reliably clever companion to grilled sausage and bistro steak preparations, but this particular vintage of Vaison is just begging for duck. And be forewarned: This is one of those wines you might not want to share with friends, so take a night alone (or plus one) with this bottle and a
plate of perfectly crispy and moist duck breast. Cheers!
