For greatness and value in France, we go directly to Domaine de la Pépière on the western edge of the Loire. Pepiere's wines offer immediate satisfaction, age at a glacial pace, and rival the sophistication found in Sancerre and Chablis at half the price.

For Château-Thebaud, Pépière owns 14 hectares within the cru, but only the best grapes go into the Château-Thebaud bottling. Most of the vines were planted between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Thébaud always needs longer aging on the lees than any of the other cru wines.