The 2013 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône Blanc is 90% Clairette with Grenache Blanc and Marsanne sourced from his organic vineyards in the Rhone Valley of France. Clairette is one of the oldest grape varietals in the south of France. Eric Texier had been trained as a scientist, before he decided to make wine and he produces wine the old-fashioned way. The vines are grown organically, the grapes are hand-picked and gently crushed, indigenous yeast is used for fermentation (that means the yeast that naturally floats on the air falls into the tank and induces fermentation), they are fermented and aged “on lees” and they are not filtered or fined, he uses minimal manipulation. The wines are fermented and aged in concrete tanks. White wines account for only 6% of the wine from the southern Rhone Valley.
The color is almost clear, just a hint of gold. The nose is tart tropical fruit along with ripe peach and pear. This is a clean, crisp wine, with a light to medium body and bright flavors. It tastes of apricot, lemon, lime, melon and apple with a light brush of minerality. The acidity allows the flavors to engage your palate, you can taste the wine in all the corners of your mouth. The wine has excellent length, allowing the various tastes to mingle and flow for a good length of time. The finish is crisp and clean.
The 2013 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône Blanc is a delicious and fairly unique White wine. After all, when is the last time you had a Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne blend? And after tasting the Côtes du Rhône Blanc the answer should be, as often as possible. This is one of the Natural Wines you may have read about, where they do as little as necessary to grow the grapes and produce the wine. In Eric Texier’s hands Rhone Valley Natural White wines are a joy to drink
