Eric Texier, ‘Chat Fou’ Côtes du Rhone 2022

• producer: Eric Texier
• region: Rhône
• country: FRA
• grape variety: grenache, cinsault, clairette
• production notes: certified organic

Before becoming a winemaker, Eric Texier was a nuclear engineer and now he brings this level of focus and detail to his winemaking. Texier is a native of Bordeaux but has lived in Lyon since the late 1970s. Although he grew up in one of the world’s most famous wine regions, he doesn’t have any family connections to wine and is largely self-taught through readings and later through apprenticeships with other winemakers. Because of the cost of land, he began as a négociant and specialized in almost-forgotten areas  like Brézème in Côtes-du-Rhône. Now he owns and rents vineyards in Brézème and in Saint-Julien en Saint-Alban. He produces 12 different wines from four different origins, with the Côte Rotie, Rasteau and Châteauneuf du Pape the only remaining cuvées made with purchased fruit. 

This light, chillable red has surprisingly bold aromas of tobacco, cedar and cherries. Excellent for spring weather.