Wine Country France: A Journey Through Three Iconic French Wine Regions

Last week I attended a Masterclass at the French Embassy titled Wine Country France: A Journey Through Three Iconic French Wine Regions conducted by wine educator Annette Schiller. Through nine wines, she navigated us through Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bordeaux, and the Rhone explaining wine production through history, major appellations, terroir, and current producers. 

Burgundy (Bourgogne): A grounded look at three villages (Saint‑Véran, Santenay, and Vosne‑Romanée) and the terroir that shapes them

Burgundy has a way of reminding wine drinkers that simplicity on paper can produce extraordinary nuance in the glass. Two grapes -- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir -- form the backbone of the region, yet the wines vary dramatically from village to village. The reason is terroir in its most literal sense: geology, slope, exposure, vine age, and the accumulated decisions of growers who know their parcels intimately. Limestone is the common thread and shapes Burgundy’s identity. It influences drainage, root depth, and ultimately the mineral tension in both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Old vines matter. From century‑old Pinot Noir in Santenay to venerable parcels in Vosne‑Romanée, vine age contributes concentration and complexity without excess weight. Farming choices are increasingly transparent. Organic and sustainable practices were consistent across the producers presented. Burgundy’s future is being shaped by growers who see soil health as inseparable from wine quality. 

Saint‑Véran: Chardonnay with Clarity and Precision
Located in the southern Mâconnais, Saint‑Véran is often described as Burgundy’s gateway to purity‑driven Chardonnay. The wines are shaped by clay‑limestone soils, cooler elevations, and a long tradition of family‑run domaines. The 2024 Saint‑Véran from Domaine de Fussiacus (Domaines Paquet), highlighted the region’s strengths:

• 100% Chardonnay
• Clay‑limestone soils that emphasize minerality and freshness
• Organic farming and sustainable winemaking
• A domaine with roots dating back to 1955

Saint‑Véran Chardonnay tends to show clean orchard fruit, subtle florals, and a mineral line that reflects the limestone bedrock. It’s Burgundy without ornamentation -- direct, transparent, and quietly confident.

Santenay: Pinot Noir with Structure and Earth
At the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, Santenay is often overshadowed by its more famous neighbors, yet it delivers some of the region’s most honest expressions of Pinot Noir. The wines are typically firmer, earthier, and more structured than those from villages farther north. The 2023 Santenay Rouge from Domaine Marc Colin et Fils offered a textbook profile:

• 100% Pinot Noir
• Old vines, including parcels approaching 100 years
• Iron‑rich limestone soils
• East‑south exposure
• Organic farming
• Aged in oak with 30% new barrels

These conditions produce Pinot Noir with red‑berry fruit, savory undertones, and a mineral edge. The iron‑rich soils often contribute a subtle ferrous note, while the exposure ensures ripeness without heaviness. Santenay remains a village where value and authenticity intersect.

Vosne‑Romanée: The Pinnacle of Pinot Noir Elegance
If Santenay is grounded and sturdy, Vosne‑Romanée is its counterpoint—perfumed, layered, and texturally refined. Located in the Côte de Nuits, Vosne‑Romanée sits among some of the most celebrated vineyards in the world. The 2021 Vosne‑Romanée "Dame Juliette" is from Bernard Rion, a domaine with roots stretching back to 1896. Key details included:

• Pinot Noir from three distinct climats
• Clay‑limestone soils
• 40+ year old vines
• Selective manual harvest and de‑stemming
• Spontaneous fermentation in concrete
• 15 months of ageing in Burgundy barrels (40% new)

Vosne‑Romanée wines are known for their aromatic lift—violet, spice, red and black cherry—and a silky texture that seems to defy the grape’s fragility. The combination of old vines, meticulous farming, and careful élevage reinforces why this village remains a benchmark for Pinot Noir worldwide.

Dave Phinney's Locations French, Spanish, & Argentinian Wines

Locations Wines are the result of an organic brainstorming session when Dave Phinney imagined the possibility of creating a French wine across all the French appellations. Would that blend represent France?  What about other countries? Thus the Locations brand was born: "to produce a wine that pays homage to their home land without compromise and without boundaries".  The Locations wines are very unique; they are "crafted to represent the essence of a country or place and are non-appellation, non-varietal and non-vintage".  Now, that's a some creative thinking. Below are three Locations wines I received recently.

F – French Red Wine ($18.99)  A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and assorted Bordeaux varietals from an assortment of growers from the Rhone, Roussillon, and Bordeaux.  Fruit centric and jammy wine which transitions quickly to a slightly tannic and lingering tail.

E – Spanish Red Wine ($18.99) A blend of Grenache/Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Carignan/Cariñena from low-yielding old vines in the Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja, and Ribera del Duero. Dark fruit, subtle spices, bits of chocolate, solid texture, and soft tannins. My favorite of the trio.

AR – Argentinian Red Wine ($17.99) A Blend of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Uco Valley in Mendoza. The Malbec provides depth and intensity and the Cabernet Sauvignon increased complexity. Deep, dark plum fruit flavors, spicy and structured, with a notable tannic finish.

#WBC14 Pre-tour: Discovering the Diversity of Paso Robles Wine in 24 Hours

While attending the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Paso Robles Pre-tour. The mission? To visit six wineries and taste wines from 50 producers from the region in 24 hours.  Most of the participants rendezvoused at the San Jose Airport and were picked up by Chris Taranto, Communications Director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance and Sarah Wolcott (representing Zephyr Adventures & WBC14). A charter bus then transported us the hour plus ride to the Paso Robles AVA -- California’s largest and most diverse AVA and best known for their Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our first stop was Niner Wine Estates where we met the remaining participants and were greeting by a panel discussion on Paso Robles History and Terroir. The roundtable including pioneers like Gary Eberle of Eberle Winery, Jason Diefenderfer of Hope Family Wines, and Augi Hug of Hug Cellars as well as our host Patrick Muran of Niner Wine Estates, Niels Udsen of Castoro Cellars, and Stephanie Terrizzi of Giornata. This tasting showcased the diversity of Paso Robles while sampling wines made from Cabernet, Zinfandel, Rhone blends, as well as Spanish and Italian varietals. The Castoro 2013 Balena White Blend (Whale Rock Estate) seemed to encapsulate this diversity being a an interesting blend of Pinto Grigio, Grenache Blanc, and Falanghina. The Giornata 2011 Nebbiolo Luna Matte Vineyard was another tasty wine and Stephanie Terrizzi painfully described her travails in growing this stubborn grape. Paso wines can also age. Jason Diefenderfer opened their 2002 Treana Red (CS, Merlot, Syrah) which had lost some acids, but was quite flavorful with a fig interior. (I had previous tasting a 2003 Eberle CS that was still youthful at Nomacorc tour.)  We also learned about the history of the region from Gary Eberle  particularly the 1970's with the rise of Cabernet Sauvignon and the first commercial Syrah vines.

From Niner we traveled over rolling hills of vineyards for our second destination: Tablas Creek Vineyard. Here we learned about the prestigious Rhone inspired brand as well as tasted wines from a few other Paso Rhone producers. A more detailed description can be found at #WBC14 Paso Robles Excursion: Tablas Creek Vineyard.

Our first day of the pre-tour culminated with the Paso Robles (Cabernet and Bordeaux) Collective - an organization which "strives to promote the full potential of the Paso Robles AVA in producing superior-quality, classic and age-worthy Cabernet and Bordeaux varietals". Our host was DAOU Vineyards and what an amazing setting - both the winery's architecture and the surrounding views. Needless to say, there was a dozens of nice wines offered as a large majority of the collective's members participated.  There were many standouts including the wines from Red Soles Winery, J. Lohr Winery, Villa San-Juliette Winery, Vina Robles, and Sextant Wines. In fact, the Sextant 2012 X-Series Marselan Cabernet X Grenache was one of the most interesting wines of the trip. The two J Lohr Cuvees were quite delicious as well. During the evening we experienced the full diurnal temperature change that benefits Paso Robles as our shorts and t-shirts were covered with jackets and sweatshirts.

We started day two at Vina Robles and a discussion on The Paso Robles AVA. The presentation was lead by Steve Lohr of J. Lohr Winery and included Kevin Willenborg of Vina Robles, Mike Sinor of Ancient Peaks Winery, Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards, and Cris Cherry of Villa Creek Winery.  The most important fact we learned is that the Paso Robles Wine Alliance has petitioned the TTP to split the broad Paso Robles AVA into 11 separate sub-AVAs. The winemakers present discussed how each region differed based on weather (Templeton Gap) and soil. The predominate soil is bedrock derived from marine and volcanic activity - particularly oyster fossils.  If approved, 85% of the grapes must be source from that appellation and they will utilize conjunctive labeling where both the sub AVA and the Paso Robles AVA will be included. The wine in this tasting was quite delicious and centered on Rhone and Bordeaux varieties.

From Vina Robles we rode to the iconic J Dusi Wines, where Zinfandel vines brought directly from Italy were planted in 1924 by Sylvester and Caterina Dusi. The original vines are still in use, old and gnarly with holes forming at the vine's base.  Third generation Janell Dusi greeted us along with four other wineries that source fruit from J Dusi: Brochelle Vineyards, Tobin James Cellars, Turley Wine Cellars, and wines from winemaker McPrice Meyers. We tasted their wines and learned about their history steps from the very vines that provide the fruit.

At separate tents we experienced a comparative tasting of Dusi sourced 2012 Zinfandel from J Dusi, Brochelle, and Turley. The base for each wine was similar, full jammy flavors with a creamy texture, and usually differed at the tail - with varying degrees of spice and acids. For each group, Tobin James spun an entertaining tale of his entrance to wine making and apprenticeship at Eberle to the creation of his label. They poured a delicious 2011 Dusi Zinfandel as well as two reserve wines. I was particularly fond of two brands from McPrice Meyers. Barrel 27 Wine Company is his brand and he poured the 2012 Paso Robles Zinfandel as well as a fascinating barrel sample of PFP 21. Paydirt Wines was the second brand, a collaboration with Patrick McNeil, and he featured the 2012 Paso Robles Red a blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Petite Sirah. This wine has that WOW factor, juicy, creamy, and simply delicious.

Our final stop in Paso Robles was Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards, named for the wild mustangs that once inhabited the region.The winery opened in 1983 selling a Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir but today produce a plethora of wines from Blaufrankisch, Verdelho, Pinot Noir, Malvasia Bianca, Rose, Merlot, Cabernet, Chadonnay, Zinfandel, Viognier, Malbec, and Syrah. We were greeted by General Manger and Director of Winemaking Chrissy Whittmann and two refreshing wines their 2013 Central Coast Floyd Rosé and 2013 Paso Robles Verdelho. The Floyd Rosé (Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese) is named after their resident llama Floyd (named after the legendary band Pink Floyd) - thus a proper name for a pink wine. Over lunch we sampled three other wines with gourmet tacos the 2012 Central Coast Chardonnay, 2011 Paso Robles Unbridled Merlot, and the 2012 Central Coast Pinot Noir 2012. All three were approachable and easy drinking - nice entrance wines. In the tasting room I discovered several very nice Pinot Noirs as well as a fruit forward new world Blaufrankisch. A pleasant end that illustrates, once again, the diversity of Paso Robles. Cheers.

#Winechat with Uncorked Ventures & Wesley Ashley Wines

This past Wednesday @wineclubguy of Uncorked Ventures hosted the weekly #winehchat and featured tow wine from Wesley Ashley Wines in which I was able to receive samples.  The winery's website contains an interesting video describing their birth and the Intelligent Design brand so I recommend watching. As for the wines, we sampled their 2011 Intelligent Design Cuvee Blanc White Rhone Styled Blend ($34) and the 2011 Intelligent Design Cuvee ($34) . The Cuvee Blanc is an intriguing blend of  Viognier 60%; Roussanne 30%;and Grenache Blanc 10% - all sourced from Santa Barbara. It is a very nice wine, starting with floral aromas; plenty of depth and a creamy sensation due to some ML treatment. The one downside was the reduction in acidity - that is intentional - based on their consumer's profiles.  Yet, all in all, a very tasty wine.  The red Cuvee is another Rhone styled blend, composed of Grenache 75%; Syrah 20%; and Petite Sirah 5%. It starts with a leathery aromas, transitions to a deep raspberry flavor with decent structure and finishes long with spicy black pepper. Another very nice wine. Pair with Dawes - performing soon at the Lobero Theatre. Cheers.