The first time we tasted Pierre Girardin’s wines, we were floored. They had that rare mix of taut structure, subtle reduction, and soaring energy, all wrapped in a texture that whispered top-tier white Burgundy. When we learned the winemaker behind them was still in his 20s, we were stunned. These were wines with the quiet confidence of a seasoned pro, not a newcomer still finding his voice.
Maxime Magnon’s wines are love letters to the rugged, rocky, high-elevation slopes of Corbières, a tiny village in an obscure corner of the Languedoc. He has an enviable collection of old vines on limestone and schist, from which he makes profoundly elegant, deeply soulful wines that speak clearly of their terroir. They are the definition of deliciousness and an utter joy to drink.
How does Thibault Boudignon, a master of Chenin Blanc, craft one of the Loire Valley's most coveted rosés?
It might seem surprising. After all, pink wine and white wine look pretty different at first glance. But Boudignon makes his rosé much like a traditional white wine. While some winemakers “bleed” a little juice off their red wine while it’s still macerating on the skins (which can make a darker, more powerful rosé), Boudignon works more like he’s making a white wine.
Should the great white wines of Campania be aged? Well, that depends on the grape variety. A top-quality Falanghina can use just a year or two in the cellar to blow off its reductive notes and harmonize its flavors. Fiano, meanwhile, with its coiled minerality and taut structure, is capable of aging beautifully for years.
López de Heredia was founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a Chilean immigrant of Basque origins, who came to Haro by way of France. After working as a wine merchant, he began purchasing vineyards that today are synonymous with quality Rioja. Like many producers at the time, his goal was to recreate the famous recipes of France with Spanish material — in essence, to make Bordeaux and Burgundy out of a hodgepodge of unfamiliar varieties, most notably Tempranillo.
Not too far away from buzzy Ibiza, the Spanish island of Mallorca is home to one of Spain’s most dynamic young winemaker, Cati Ribot. Cati’s father planted international grapes like Chardonnay and Cabernet (it was, after all, the ‘90s). But after a stint working as a somm in Barcelona, and getting the chance to taste wines from all over the world, Cati realized the potential of her small Mediterranean island and its unique indigenous varieties. And so, they said adios to the French varieties and began planting varieties like Escursac, the local Malvasía de Banyalbufar, Girò Ros and Prensal Blanc.
Regions like Burgundy and the Mosel are by-words for terroir. Part of the thrill of discovering those regions is exploring the subtle shifts in a wine that tiny changes in soil, slope, and exposure can make. But Burgundy and the Mosel don’t have a monopoly on that sort of terroir magic, as Giovanna Maccario’s two Rossese wines prove.
For the last 30 years, Montlouis-sur-Loire-based François Chidaine has been a pioneering voice in organic and biodynamic viticulture. He has also established himself as one of the world’s premier interpreters of Chenin Blanc.
Chorey-lès-Beaune is a classic insiders village. A bit overshadowed by the more famous terroirs in Aloxe-Corton and Savigny-lès-Beaune, the wines in Chorey just don’t get enough love. Which makes no sense! The vineyards in Chorey are loaded with limestone, and a great vigneron can make wines of great depth, poise, and elegance.
Nozay, like any producer this focused on terroir, is fanatical about their farming (organic and biodynamic) and hands off in the winery (they ferment with native yeasts and without additives). They even experiment with terracotta vessels to try to find the best way to let the wines evolve fully into themselves.
Pierre Péters is one of Champagne’s most recognizable names, and one of its most famous Growers (Check out our handy guide to Grower Champagne). The estate is named after current proprietor Rodolphe Péters’ grandfather, and the family has been working vines in the Côte des Blancs’ best terroirs for nearly two centuries.
At its best, Chablis is about the most nakedly terroir-focused wine in France. And yet, mysteriously, it has remained the last reasonably-priced home of 1er and Grand Cru Burgundy. True, we’ve seen more and more of Chablis’ biggest names rise in price, but there are still great deals to be found — none of them more shocking than Dampt Frères' lineup of Grand Crus.
