Eric Texier Cotes-du-Rhône Rouge 'Chat Fou' 2021

Country: France

Region: Rhône

Type: Red Wine 

Grape: Grenache/Cinsault/Clairette

Mainly from vines planted on a south-facing slope on granite soils in the warm St-Julien en St-Alban zone (in the Ardèche on the northern bank of the Ouvèze--to the west of the Rhône River, at the southern edge of the northern Rhône Valley). Some of the fruit is sourced but all is certified-organic, like the estate vines. Harvest is by hand. The bunches are partly de-stemmed and co-fermented with native yeasts in open-top concrete tanks with a short maceration (around 5 days) and no sulfur. No extraction techniques are applied to the wine, as is true for all Texier reds. Chat Fou is aged in concrete tank on its fine lees for around 12 months and bottled without fining or filtration and with only a small amount of sulfur. Starting in 2021, the wine is bottled as a Vin de France rather than as a Côtes-du-Rhône. 

"Chat Fou" is by design a fresh, light, and juicy "vin bistro," as Eric Texier calls it. Aromas of red currant, strawberry and cherry, with floral and citrus notes. The palate is supple and soft with ripe black and red fruits, framed with refreshing acidity with a good finish.