A few short years ago, Eric Asimov wrote a New York Times column about this small wine region in the French Basque country. It seemed set to explode, like so much that Eric highlights. The... Read More

A few short years ago, Eric Asimov wrote a New York Times column about this small wine region in the French Basque country. It seemed set to explode, like so much that Eric highlights. The wines, like the Basque country and language, are a part of France, but totally distinct.

Delicious, small-scale terroir-focussed wines from a culture famous for their fanaticism about food. Sounds like a recipe for a hit. And yet, the wines are still distinctly under the radar.

Herri Mina has even more reason to be famous. Jean-Claude Berrouet, the longtime winemaker of Pomerol's ne plus ultra Chateau, Petrus, founded the domaine in the early '90s. A native of the region, Berrouet wanted to get back and apply his talents to the simple country wines of his home. And the results are as outstanding as you'd expect.