December 16, 2022 - Deep colour; tarry, packed with briary fruit, Dundee fruit cake; palate reflects nose, some tannin remains, med/full bodied; punchy but svelte finish. Will age well.
June 1, 2021 - Very deep colour out to rim; dark berried fruits, mulled; rich, bold, balanced, fulsome, meaty yet softening tannins; packed finish. More to come.
September 13, 2020 - Another brilliant bottle from Eric Texier, Classy Syrah all the way. Beautifully integrated aromas, flavours and texture. A superbly crafted bit of work.
May 11, 2019 - Blue fruits and some anise on the nose. The wine is drinking perfectly right now. Medium bodied, just a bit of tannins that give the wine some chew. Bringing the wine in my mouth sets free floral notes: lavender and violet. The fruit is predominantly cherry with some minerals present. Respectable finish.
May 4, 2019 - From the southernmost village in Northern Rhône, on the western side of the Rhône river. Organically farmed 30-40 yo Syrah vines in St. Julien-en-St. Alban. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats, whole clusters, one week of maceration. Aged for 15 months in concrete, bottled without filtration and with 10 mg/l of sulfites. 13% alcohol. Tasted half-blind.
Dense, fully opaque and intensively colored black cherry. Wild, vibrant and somewhat funky nose with aromas of ripe blackberries, some sweet, lifted notes of nail polish, a little bit of bretty funk, light fruity and slightly bubblegum-y Hubba Bubba tones, a hint of raw game and a touch of peppery spice. Quite noticeably feral yet still very attractive nose here. The wine is light-to-medium-bodied, fresh and lively on the palate with clean, crunchy flavors of fresh blackberries, some licorice, a little bit of bretty funk, light notes of allspice, a slightly bitter hint of charred gamey meat and a lifted touch of VA. High acidity with surprisingly firm and grippy tannins. The finish is lively, crunchy and moderately grippy with long flavors of fresh, brambly blackberries, some meaty umami, a little bit of briny olive, light stony mineral tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a lifted touch of balsamic VA.
Here we have a very robust and funky nose that leads into this noticeably cleaner and more house-broken style of Syrah. Despite all its lift and funk, the wine shows tremendous sense freshness, purity and drinkability. The moderately tightly-knit structure and intensity of fruit promises good potential for further aging, but the overall feel is very drinkable already with tons of very attractive, youthful character. Perhaps not the first pick for people who want their wines squeaky-clean, but highly recommended to anybody else. Immensely enjoyable. Terrific value at 15,25€.
April 6, 2019 - These vines are located in the southernmost edge of the northern Rhône valley on granite soil. Aged in concrete, Texier wines have a reputation for being on the wild side but this was just brilliant purity of fruit. Earthy, savoury olives with an acid lift that I love. An incredibly fresh and distinctive wine for $50. Back up the lorry for this.
March 17, 2019 - Droit, vif, fruité. Belle finale. Bon potentiel.
October 24, 2018 - Louis/Dressner Tasting (Sstudio 125, Mpls, MN): Tasting pour. Granite soils as contrast to the limestone of the Brezeme VV. Also very good. Earthy, raspberry, deep, fresh.
October 2, 2018 - Delicious, earthy, great acidity and tannins - great wine for the price - from Putnam and vine
September 15, 2018 - Dark, opaque, nicely rich darker fruit, good acidity, medium fine tannins, a bit of good complexity and interest, quite tasty. Nice Syrah, and a great QPR.