Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are known for their impressive capacity to express differences in terroir from one site to the next. In Burgundy’s Côte d’Or alone, a single slope has been dissected into an intricate patchwork of vineyard plots specifically for this reason, the striking variation in wines made from neighboring parcels having been documented for hundreds of years. But if Burgundy’s star grape varieties yield countless expressions within a single village, can you imagine the range they afford across distinct wine regions, and even different countries?
     Excellent Chardonnay and Pinot abound today in regions as diverse as the Loire Valley, Alsace, Savoie, the Beaujolais, and even parts of Italy. Rather than mimic more prestigious bottlings through winemaking hacks, the best growers coax new identities from these varieties thanks to the very quality that makes them so beloved: their transparency. The unique personality of such wines is as much a surprise as a delight; the fantastic value they deliver is the cherry on top.
      Tasting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir through the lens of a new terroir is like hearing a cover of your favorite song in a new musical genre. A brisk white from near the Atlantic coast is blatant proof of the impact of terroir—it tastes closer to Muscadet than Meursault, with a briny suggestion of sea spray from waves crashing on jagged rocks. And while it may come as a surprise that Pinot has found a home in Italy, the hill of Mazzon, in Alto Adige, has been prized for its sultry and refined Pinot Nero for the better part of two centuries.
     Even in Burgundy, looking beyond the most iconic appellations reveals a treasure trove of delicious, well-priced wines. The lost-in-time village of Irancy, for example, specializes in Pinot at once bright, sappy, and a touch rustic—an expression so authentic the first glass feels like a revelation. It is among the more nuanced bottles you’ll find in this sampler exploring the many faces of the world’s two most popular grapes.