There's a common thread among many of the Northern Rhône producers that most excite us: they come from a somewhat nebulous area known as the Ardèche.

Below we unpack and make tribute to this exciting group of growers. Here’s to them.

The Ardèche: defined by its river, and encompassing a hefty slice of the Northern Rhône–but that’s not really what comes to mind.

Being Ardéchois means a producer's flag is planted outside of the area’s most famous appellations (Hermitage, Côte Rôtie, Cornas), they're farming Syrah (and often Gamay) organically and–most importantly–making wine in a no-frills, natural style.

These wines are almost always quenching and fun to drink, with the best bottles reaching the pedigree of any great AOC Syrah.

THE GOAT: HERVÉ SOUHAUT

Years ago, the wines of Hervé and Beatrice Souhaut were the first on our radar to be operating outside the scope of what we traditionally think of as Northern Rhône.

Incredible freshness, lift and detail – and 20+ years later, still killer every single time we crack one open. Their winemaking was the inspiration point for many other natural producers, and still is today.

SHOP SOUHAUT →

THE ENGINEER: ERIC TEXIER

Eric is an iconic grower, as is his (practically proprietary) terroir Brézème (pictured at the top of this email). Always on the edge of pushing technique and alternate terroir expressions, many other winemakers have studied and learned from him–including his son Martin.

Intensely wild and tannic, Brézème’s Syrah-on-granite is the insider’s Grand Cru: a super unique terroir that we know and love through the lens of Eric and Martin.

SHOP TEXIER →

MORE ARDÈCHE

It should go without saying the producers above are practicing natural winemaking and farming with an eye towards sustainability.

If those things along with incredibly delicious Syrah are of interest to you, check out these other great producers we love. Tip: there is Gamay here in Ardèche, where granite goes hand in hand.

SHOP ALL ARDÈCHE IN STOCK →