Eric Texier, Chat Fou, VDF Northern Rhône, France

In 1992 Eric Texier gave up his career as a nuclear engineer to pursue his dream of making wine without any experience or any contacts, just the drive to make it happen. After working under several established winemakers and making negoce wines from the crop of his like minded peers, Eric and his wife, Laurence purchased a tiny parcel of their own in the almost forgotten, Brezeme.

Brezeme is the southern most appellation in the Northern Rhône found on the left bank of the Rhone rich in limestone and clay soils that grow rockier as the slopes rise. It was once known for making wines that rivalled those of Hermitage, yet by the 1960s there was just a single hectare of vines. With a little help from Francois Pouchoulin (aka the godfather of Brezeme) the appellation has been firmly put back on the map with Eric its leading grower.

Today Eric and Laurence have 12 hectares of vines, all grown organically since the beginning and with some biodynamic influence. This includes a tiny plot outside of the appellation, from another forgotten region on the other side of the Rhone in the Ouveze valley of the Ardèche. This site has granite soils, and is at a higher altitude and a higher temperature too and is home to the grapes of this wine. 

Another cat related wine is always welcome at Iron & Rose! The Chat Fou, or 'crazy cat' is a playful, juicy red made with a combination of red and white grapes - 45% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 15% Clairette, hand harvested, partly de-stemmed and co-fermented with native yeasts in open top concrete tanks. With a 'less is more' approach, no extraction techniques are used. It's aged in concrete for 12-18 months before bottling without fining or filtration and just a tiny amount of sulphur. Super bright and crunchy red fruit, suitable slightly chilled.

Producer - Eric Texier
Country - France
Region - Northern Rhône
Variety / Blend - Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan