Côtes du Rhône as Côte Rôtie
2010 Côtes du Rhône
Brézème Pergault VV
An Obscure Terroir Shines
Don't let the Côtes du Rhône designation fool you. Texier's Brézème Pergault has more in common with Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie than with flesh-y Grenache dominated wines that are often labeled Côtes du Rhône.
Texier's Côtes du Rhône Brézème Pergault VV is from 100% Syrah. And while Brézème isn't a big name today, there was a time in the mid-1800s when Brézème was mentioned in the same breath as Hermitage and cost nearly as much.
Côte Rôtie may be a better point of comparison. That's the verve and elegance that Brézème possesses. This is especially so in the beautiful and pure 2010 Northern Rhône.
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It's probably clear now that Brézème is a special place. Until Texier set up shop there, it was basically forgotten. Texier himself had read about Brézème in old books, but thought that the appellation was extinct.
The story goes that Texier got turned onto Brézème by Raymond Trollat, the legendary St. Joseph traditionalist. He mentioned a friend from the army who tended old vines in Brézème. That was Monsieur Pouchoulin who had 0.6ha of 60-100 year-old vines. This is where Texier's Brézème Pergault is bottled from.
Brézème lies where the Northern and Southern Rhône meet. It's a cooler site. Brézème is typically harvested two weeks after Hermitage, at the very end of September or early October. The south facing vineyards are steeply terraced on limestone clay soils.
Needless to say, Texier's 2010 Brézème Pergault VV is very limited. We'll likely have to allocate.
What we love about Texier's Brézème Pergault is how subtly refined it is. There's no effort to produce anything flashy or attention grabbing. They're all about purity, transparency and balance.
In a recent interview on Levi Dalton's and Matt Duckor's always interesting I'll Drink to That! (you can find it here), Texier mentions that wines can show three things: the grape, the vintage and the terroir. For him, 2010 is a vintage where terroir dominates.
Texier's Brézème Pergault always has a wonderful drive and energy with clearly defined notes of violets, spice, an elusive dark, smoky minerality, herbs and fairly rich red fruits. Overall, it's the sense of precision and agility that really kills us with the wine. 2010 exemplifies these qualities.
As we've mentioned before, people are rediscovering the Northern Rhône in a big way. This is a great thing; we love traditionally made Rhône wines, but there's no getting around the fact the prices have been creeping significantly upward. It's really encouraging that Texier's stunning 2010 Brézème Pergault VV is priced accessibly.
Texier's 2010 Brézème Pergault VV will definitely benefit from 5-10 years (and likely more) in the cellar.As I mentioned earlier, this is limited. I wish there were more, but I'll take what I can get.
Please give us your ideal order and we'll try our best.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2010 Côtes du Rhône Brézème Pergault VV
2010 Texier Brézème Pergault VV arrives mid-February!
NET | No further discount