These 5 U.S. Wine Regions Will Make You Swear You’re in France

Napa isn’t the only place with a terroir that attracted high-level French winemakers. Oregon’s Willamette Valley produces such complex pinot noir and chardonnay varieties that vintners from Burgundy—perhaps the most hallowed of all French regions, and one that is defined by those two grapes—have set up shop here. It started in 1987 when Robert Drouhin and his daughter, Véronique, of Maison Joseph Drouhin, began Domaine Drouhin Oregon. Later came winemakers from Maison Louis Jadot, who founded Résonance, and even the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, with Bertrand de Villaine starting an Oregon project called Composition.

“Oregon is like Burgundy in that it is difficult to understand,” says Jean-Nicolas Méo, a cofounder of Nicolas-Jay Estate, who also makes grand crus from some of the best sites in Burgundy at Domaine Méo-Camuzet. “There is so much diversity and variability in the wines. Oregon is a region of relatively small wineries, led by people who are able to express themselves with pinot noir, which is very similar to what we have in Burgundy.”

Guillaume Large, a Burgundy native who has been the winemaker at Résonance since 2016, also sees similarities. “Both places,” he says, “share a love of the good life: great wine, delicious food, and a deep respect for the land.”

The Willamette Valley is rainy during winter and spring, but come summer and the first half of fall, the clouds give way to gloriously sunny yet mostly mild days—perfect for an outdoor tasting. The drizzle typically returns around the end of October, although there’s still something charming about a cloudy, moody day in the Pacific Northwest.

Where to stay: For a back-to-the-land, pastoral experience worthy of the French countryside, stay at Inn the Ground, a hillside boutique property with panoramic valley views. The owners also own a farm, Tabula Rasa, where they practice regenerative agriculture.