Martin Texier « Rouvière » 2024. Easygoing, Honest, and Just a Touch Shy

This bottle was a journey… sadly a quieter one.

At first pour, Rouvière from Martin Texier feels simple and direct. It greets you with soft fruit and a clean, slightly herbal edge. Nothing loud, nothing showy. You expect more layers to unfold, but it stays modest, calm, almost meditative.

There’s a nice freshness right away, a hint of lemon zest, white peach, and wet stone, balanced by a light touch of texture that keeps it from feeling too lean. KEEP THIS BOTTLE COLD FOR SURE. The acidity keeps things lively, but it never quite builds to something dramatic — just a steady, easy rhythm that works well alongside food or conversation.

After a bit of air, the fruit opens slightly, leaning more into pear and citrus, but the wine stays true to its personality: pure, simple, and refreshingly honest. Nothing flashy, just quietly satisfying.

For me, it lands at a 7/10, not a showstopper, but still very good. The kind of wine you enjoy without thinking too hard about it, perfect for a relaxed dinner or to start the night with friends.

A quick word on Martin Texier, the wine maker behind. Martin is part of a new generation continuing the natural-wine legacy of his father, Éric Texier, in the northern Rhône. His approach is similarly low-intervention, native yeasts, no additives, minimal sulfur, but his style leans even more toward freshness and lightness.

Rouvière is typically a blend of Rhône white grapes like Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier, grown in the hills around Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban. These varieties give the wine its soft texture and gentle stone-fruit notes, while Martin’s hands-off approach keeps it bright and a little wild around the edges.

It’s not trying to be grand or complex, just a clear, honest expression of fruit and place. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.