Eric Texier Rouge “Chat Fou” VdF 2023 750ml

50% Cinsault/30% Grenache/20% Clairette. From certified-organic Texier (and some sourced) vines, mainly in the St-Julien en St-Alban zone of the Ardèche in at the southern edge of the northern Rhône Valley. The three varieties are harvested separately and by hand, partly destemmed and fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and no sulfur in open-top concrete tanks. Maceration is no more than four days; no extraction techniques are ever applied (as is true for all Texier reds). The wine is blended and aged in concrete for 12-18 months and bottled without fining or filtration and with a small amount of sulfur. It has been classified Vin de France instead of Côtes-du-Rhône since the 2021 vintage. Cinsault is officially and intentionally the dominant variety starting in the 2023 vintage to emphasize its bistro-wine charms (and because Texier feels that Cinsault is better suited for a changing climate vs. Grenache).

• Country: France
• Region: Rhone Valley
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Red Rhone Blend

The Rhone region of France has been producing superb quality white blended wines for centuries, and is a region highly respected and esteemed around the world, with plenty of New World countries keen to emulate the styles and techniques displayed by the historic wineries and skilled vintners of the area. The secret to the Rhone’s success when it comes to blended white wines is the careful and expert selection of certain grape varietals, which each lend special features to the blended wine and bring balance and harmony to the bottle. Most commonly, blended white Rhone wines feature no more than two grapes of either the Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne or Grenache Blanc varietals, and are renowned for their exceptional flavors and highly aromatic, floral character.