The Curve by Louis Guida A Bordeaux and a Napa cabernet sauvignon, a Burgundy and an Oregon pinot noir, a Chablis and a Carneros chardonnay.
Wines made from the same grape varieties a continent apart are different.
Drunk alone and drunk with food, the proof is in the tasting. Some of the reasons for this European-American difference became apparent to me during a visit to the Bordeaux wine region about 10 years ago, when I toured Chateau Figeac, one of Bordeaux's premiere wineries and an old and beautiful estate. My wife and I were staying in the nearby village of St. Emilion. We called Figeac on a Saturday morning and, much to my surprise, the proprietor, Thierry de Manoncourt, answered the phone. Mentioning my previous work at Beaulieu Vineyard in the Napa Valley, we asked if he might have time for us to make a brief visit to the chateau.