Top 3 French wine stars abroad

Traveling for miles in search of the ideal terroir, packing grape varieties in their suitcases to test them in new soils… This is what some adventurous winemakers have done. Are French winemakers exporting as well as their wine? A closer look at these French wine stars abroad:

Stéphane Asseo, the globetrotting winemaker

Stéphane Asseo is an adventurer. He wandered for a long time before becoming the estate manager of Domaine de Courteillac in Bordeaux . A few years later, he sold everything to take on a new challenge: owning an exceptional terroir with the ambition of making great wines. After several months of searching, he finally settled on Paso Robles, between San Francisco and Los Angeles. This small valley met all his criteria, and he planted Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon on the land of L'Aventure winery, bringing together grape varieties from the Rhône and Bordeaux regions. Today, 20 years after his beginnings, Stéphane's wines are stars of the American wine scene.

The Bourgeois family, masters of Sauvignon Blanc

Ten years of research were needed to guide Jean-Marie Bourgeois to a terroir in New Zealand. Ten years spent tasting wines to find land suited to his Sancerre grape varieties. Clos Henri, the New Zealand branch of Domaine Henri Bourgeois, is located in the Wairau Valley, in Marlborough. Why choose to make wine on the other side of the world? For the fresh climate, which is reflected in the wine, and for Sauvignon Blanc, the king of grapes in the land of the Kiwis. Sancerre vs. Marlborough, which wins?

Pierre Seillan, the cowboy of Gers

“Feet in California, but heart in the Southwest, ” is how journalist César Compadre describes Pierre Seillan. This Gascon left his region at 50 to settle in the Sonoma Valley in the United States and make wine for Jess Jackson’s estate. Without losing his southwestern accent, he has only one ambition: to create a wine better than Pétrus. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon form the basis of his delicate blends, in contrast to Californian wines, which tend to be more powerful. Pierre Seillan’s frequent use of the term “droit de sol” (right of the soil) reflects his deep connection to the land. For him, you have to listen to it to get the best out of it. And it’s surely thanks to this that his wines have received a shower of awards. La Muse, La Joie, Le Désir … wines with promising names, to which American critic Robert Parker awarded the highly coveted score of 100/100. Wines at $600 a bottle, no less. Your next splurge?