As a student Eric Texier became passionate about classic wines produced by old school boys such as Trollat, Gentaz, Juge, Verset (Rhône), Goyard, Guffens (Burgundy) and Chamonard (Beaujolais). Early ’90, still working as a nuclear engineer, he signs on as a trainee at Jean-Marie Guffens. A study oenology and gradually a change in career follow. He moves to Charnay in the southern part of the Beaujolais, where he and his wife Laurence still live, even though his vineyards are located 150 km to the south, and starts of as négociant. His first wines produces are from veilles vignes purchased in Saint Véran and Crozes-Hermitage.Late ‘90 Texier gets the change to buy some forgotten vineyards in Côtes du Rhône appellations located south of Valence (and officially part of the Northern Rhône) with interesting terroirs and old, non-cloned vines. In 1998 he acquires 4.5 hectare in Brézème (left bank nearby Livron-sur-Drôme), among which the former vineyards of François Pouchoulin of Domaine de Pergault with old vines serine and roussette. In 2009 he manages to add another 3 hectare in Saint-Julien en Saint-Alban on the right bank. This négociant activities today are concentrated on Côte-Rôtie and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (and till vintage 2015 an incredible Mâcon Brussière made from 90 year old chardonnay vines). All vineyards owned are Ecocert certified (without mentioning on the label); the grapes bought elsewhere are grown organically.Although Eric has a degree in oenology, he is a true autodidact. Over the years he has developed own ideas and techniques, inspired by different wine growing movements and supported by experiments in his vineyard and wine cellar. Key points are minimum human intervention and maximum use of natural processes. Although he works his vineyards organically, he has strong ideas about it. He beliefs in a functional use of different plants, rather than too much ploughing and too many natural fertilizers. Work in the cellar is also limited: pigéage, remontage or bâtonnage are not employed by Texier. Aging takes place on concrete tanks or old demi-muid, and sulfite is applied extremely economical and only before bottling. All of this to achieve maximum expression of the grape, the terroir and the characteristics of the vintage.With Texier we have added a passionate, quirky and above all inspiring producer in the wine portfolio. His wines are distinguished by a purity and enormous vitality and offer an impressive terroir expression.