When you think of Cotes du Rhone reds normally Grenache based blends come to mind. But a few producers like to go with a single varietal, and again, the nod usually goes to Grenache.
Not so with Eric Texier, a pioneering winemaker in the region known as the Ardeche that sits just outside the best Northern Rhone regions. Texier hunts for grapes from around the Rhone, finding old vine parcels that have never seen the onslaught of pesticides and chemicals. While “natural” wine is often tossed around these days, and Texier is “natural” he’s a serious winemaker, working with serious fruit from old vine vineyards.
Take the 2014 Eric Texier Brezeme Vieilles Vignes. Here’s an old vine, all Syrah red, that would stand up to a Cote Rotie from the same vintage. Having tasted Texier’s wines since the 2000 vintage, the longeviity he get from good to very good harvests is mind blowing. What Texier also gets from the wines he makes is intense layer upon layer of fruit.
In the case of the 2014 Eric Texier Brezeme Vieilles Vignes is the smokey quality of the Syrah that evokes that Cote-Rotie sensation, along with brambly blueberries, hints of bacon and black and white pepper.
This is a wine that is a standout both in value and quality, and that’s why the 2014 Eric Texier Brezeme Vieilles Vignes is today’s WineSiders’ Wine of The Day.
