Wine Atlas

One of the best things about watching the annual Tour de France bike race on TV is the incredible views of the French countryside taken by helicopter.

The video tapestry shows quaint towns and villages dotting the landscape, each with its own incredible architecture and character. You sense that some piece of history was made in each one. Miles of agricultural lands span the horizon, often dominated by vineyards.

Some of the most spectacular scenery is in the Rhone Valley in southeast France, home to many of the most special wines in the world. The Rhone River begins in the Swiss Alps and flows into France through the Jura Mountains. It was here that the syrah grape was first nurtured into fine wine, a tradition that is celebrated to this very day.

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Don't miss: Château du Pav- illon 2005 Bordeaux, France

Style: Medium-bodied red Bordeaux, dry, balanced and subtle. An excellent example of an Old World Merlot blend.

There's an elegance to traditional red Bordeaux that sets it quietly apart from New World renditions of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Château du Pavillon displays this sleek refinement in full. The wine offers pretty black and red cherry fruit, a touch of cedar-scented oak and as clear-cut an expression of "terroir" ("earth") as you're apt to find. Wines that display terroir have a sense of place, a sensory identity that reflects a specific growing region. To a practiced nose, this wine smells of Bordeaux and nothing else! Merlot dominates the blend at 80 percent, the balance made up by Cabernet -Sauvignon.

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