Over millennia, nature has shaped France into a patchwork of geological diversity by depositing gravel and laying down limestone, carving out river valleys and steep hillsides, and lifting up mountain ranges. Through careful attention to these natural wonders over countless generations, vignerons have learned the merits of farming the inhospitably steep slopes of Savoie, so rocky virtually nothing else will grow; they discovered that growing Chardonnay at the grape’s northernmost extreme yields the most bracing, mouth-watering wines; they determined that ancient Carignan vines give the most profound expression of the Languedoc’s dusty, shrubby landscape; they confirmed that throwing whole clusters of Gamay in their tanks, stems and all, gave the most vibrant and perfumed wines; they understood that aging Syrah in large, neutral foudres preserved the fruit’s distinctive notes of black pepper and violets; they mastered an unparalleled collection of great terroirs across the country’s four corners to yield truly mesmerizing expressions of place.
     Embark on your own tour of France’s wine regions and appellations with this twelve-bottle sampler. Each wine showcases the hard work and passion of our vignerons and reflects the great wine culture developed by the generations of winemakers who came before them. Santé!