Brézème is an anomaly in the northern Rhône. It is a single slope of rocky, broken down limestone (compared to the granitic soils that are the norm around these parts) rising above the alluvial plains of the Massif Central. It is only planted to 22ha of vines, with the majority of them farmed by Martin and his father, Eric. Martin’s wine from here is sourced from 30-year-old Syrah vines. Half-destemmed, and pressed after a ten-day maceration. Élevage is done in concrete tank with no sulfur added. Very pretty, classic wine.

Martin Texier (you may have heard of his father, Eric, the now famous northern Rhône natural wine producer) began making wine in 2014 after a previous life studying economics. After leaving university, he ventured into music (he is an accomplished DJ) and also spent time in New York City learning about the wine trade here (he held internships at both Uva Wines in Brooklyn and Flatiron Wines in Manhattan, as well as the greatest record store in the world, A1 Records). It was after this that he realized that his calling was to follow in his father’s footsteps and return to the vines.