Éric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2019

The Bourbelenc and Clairette average over 50 years old and are bush-trained, creating shade to protect the bunches from the hot sun; Texier stopped using the Grenache Blanc vines years ago, in an effort to keep a better-balanced, terroir-expressive profile. 

Direct vertical pressing of whole clusters; fermentation with indigenous yeasts in small, used oak barrels with no sulfur; malolactic fermentation; aging in barrel on the fine lees with no racking for 16-20 months; bottling without fining or filtering or any addition of sulfur. Tiny production.