The king of Sauternes, Château d’Yquem is the only wine in the appellation to receive a First Growth distinction. According to local lore, it was the proprietors of this estate who first recognized the value of “noble rot.”

Produttori del Barbaresco is a cooperative founded in 1958 to help grape growers promote their wines. Today each family in the coop grows grapes but the award-winning wines are made at a central winery. They are gold standards for the appellation.

Chateau Montelena is one of Napa Valley’s oldest estate vineyards, but discovered new fame when its 1973 Chardonnay took first place in the 1976 Tasting of Paris.