Martin Texier was not handed a winery. He studied economics, spent time as a DJ, and worked stints in New York at Uva Wines and Flatiron Wines before returning to the Rhône to make wine of his own. The fact that his father is Éric Texier — one of the northern Rhône's most respected natural producers — gave him a reference point, not a shortcut. Martin released his first vintage in 2014 from Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban, a village in the Ardèche department of the northern Rhône that most wine drinkers have never heard of.
The Region
Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban sits on the western bank of the Rhône in the Ardèche, within the historic Brézème zone and surrounded by the Cévennes foothills. The geology here is genuinely complex: clay, limestone, gneiss, marl, schist, and granite all appear within Martin's five hectares, giving him raw material for a wide range of styles within a small footprint. The area is removed from the glamour of Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage, which suits Martin's ethos of reviving local traditions rather than chasing recognition.
Vineyards & Farming
Martin farms five hectares of certified organic vines across two appellations: Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban and Brézème. Red varieties include Syrah (Serine in local parlance), Cinsault, and Grenache; whites include Roussanne, Clairette, Chasselas Rosé, and Muscat. The oldest parcel — Cérouan — was planted in 1955. Farming is chemical-free with manual harvesting, and the approach in the vineyard mirrors the hands-off philosophy in the cellar.
Winemaking
Fermentations are driven entirely by indigenous yeasts with no commercial additions. Sulfur is not used: total SO₂ across the range runs from 0 to 25 mg/L. Reds are aged in large neutral wood vessels or concrete tanks; whites see barrel fermentation with extended lees contact. Nothing is filtered at bottling. Martin deliberately works with shorter maceration and élevage times than his father, emphasizing primary fruit and freshness over extraction and structure.
The Wines
The lineup includes Petite Nature (100% Muscat Petit Grain pétillant naturel), La Rouvière (Roussanne and Clairette), Brézème Blanc (100% Roussanne, barrel-fermented), Le Preyna (Cinsault and Grenache), Brézème Rouge (Syrah, whole-cluster), and Cérouan (old-vine Serine from 1955). Each wine is a precise address: variety, soil, and vintage — nothing more.
