I wanted to talk about Eric Texier all by his lonesome, after meeting him last week at the special Louis/Dressner tasting. “I try to keep my alcohol low and acidity high. I’m a very old-fashioned guy,” he said. Vrai ça, monsieur.

Three regions stuck in Eric’s mind as he travelled the world to gain insight into his craft: Piedmont, Burgundy, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Shit, that’s all I need to know. Combining the terroir worship of the Bourgognians(?) with the tradition-free innovation of the Oregonians, and the hybrid mentality of Piedmont which has come to synthesize both outlooks, Eric is the winemaker I would create if I had a mad science lab, a million volts of electricity, and a frozen brain. Timothy Leary’s preferably. Phillip K. Dick’s would do.

Texier 2004 Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc ($36) - I won’t kid yous guys, I never can see paying the money for CDP white. This is one of my wine blind spots and the one Frenchie category where I can find something as tasty for much cheaper from the new world. I know, big words. But… the buttery, round, rich/light flavors of this wine almost make me a believer.

Texier 2004 Côtes du Rhône Rouge ($12) - Mainly grenache, pretty and juicy and plenty of tart strawberry. I like my wines from this region to taste like real fruit, not Jolly Ranchers. Real fruit (red and black) is mostly not sweet, blackberries, raspberries, plums. Elementary, I know. But you’d be surprised.

Texier 2004 Brézene Rouge ($15) - All syrah, a medium heavy flavor of dark plum and black cherry, soft acidity, and balanced tannins across your tongue from start to finish, like fingertips on velvet.

Texier 2004 St. Gervais Côtes du Rhône “Cadinnieres” ($19) - Old vine grenache, I mean ooooooooold. All those long tentacles of vine, cracking through all those nooks and crannies, picking up all sorts of adjectives that fall in the category of minerality. But on top, you still get that luscious red strawberry/raspberry perfumed fruit.

Texier 2004 Vieilles Vignes Côte-Rotie ($58) - Mmmm, I smell bacon. And pepper. And, is that fennel? As boisterous as this wine is aroma-wise, it’s nothing but soft furry kittens upon entry. Not that I eat kittens. It’s just soft like kittens. But it still tastes like berries. Uh, you get the idea. Eric said, “It’s only 12% alcohol, and very old school. So probably a 55 or 56 points from Parker. (beat) Maybe 57.” I love this guy! I give it a 95, it’s got a great beat and I can see eating some big game with it.

Texier 2004 Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge ($36)- In the very best way, this wine reminded me of a high-end fancy Valpolicella I had recently. Maybe it was the full-figured red cherry and tar spiked fruit. Maybe it was that dusty, soft earthiness that you barely catch a whiff of each time you sip.

Texier “Ô Pâle” Mout de Raisins Partiellement Fermente ($20) - Sooo, partially fermented Roussanne grape juice: unripe banana, baked nectarines, honey, all the crazy things that are flowering in my backyard right now, almonds, did I say honey? An off-dry, no sweet, wine that has a core of acid to hold it all up.

In conclusion: Eric Texier is a righteous grapey dude. And yes, I thought it was weird that all the wines were 2004’s. I apologize for not asking the hard hitting questions. He was just so charming, in an aloof sort of way. I dig that.