We leave Beaujolais at sunrise, after downing a quick breakfast of sub-par coffee and superb croissants. Dominique says that our drive to our next appointment should take just about two hours, but traffic brings us to a crawl on the road that leads into the town of Ampuis. Michael insists that I stop typing, turn off my laptop, and look out the window.

Steep, terraced vineyards--some barely wide enough for one vine--line the narrow valley’s walls. Through the morning mist, I make out the hillside signs of Guigal and Chapoutier. Michael points out the tiny plot of Chateau Grillet. A one-lane switchback path takes us up the slope, and we emerge into a completely different terrain. Above the valley below, beyond the near-vertical plantings of Cote-Rotie, lies the cool, windswept plateau of St.-Joseph.

Our first appointment is at Cave Chante-Perdrix, with Philippe Verzier. Philippe is the first in his family to make wine. His parents and the generations before them sold grapes to a cooperative, which blended the crops of many growers. From the mid-sixties on, the family farmed organically and promoted “polyculture” planting practices. This latter method involves interplanting grapes and other crops. Imitating the diversity of natural ecosystems reduces the site’s susceptibility to disease and, in turn, negates the need for pesticides and fungicides. When his father suffered a heart attack, Philippe left school, returned to the family domaine and decided to make wine himself. I can’t help but marvel at the fact that he has a dozen vintages under his belt, and we’re the same age.

In rain-soaked years like 2008, Philippe declassifies much of his production. (He labels his single-vineyard wines as villages, his village wines become box wines, etc.) Luckily, conditions improved just before harvest, and Philippe did not have to take too many drastic measures. We taste all of the ‘08s from barrel, and the ‘07s from bottle. VVW works mainly with Verzier’s Vin de Pays Syrah and Condrieu Viognier, but he also makes a Côte-Rôtie, and several St.-Josephs. Sappy and full of dark fruit when young, Verzier’s Syrahs mature quickly into airy, fragrant, peppery wines that impress as much on the nose as the palate. His Condrieu wines begin life as lean, minerally whites that gain weight and intense apricot and peach tones with just a little bit of time. In fact, these wines stand among the few luxury whites of the world meant to be consumed while relatively young and fresh.

Philippe offers up his priciest white, “les Grains Dorés,” to end our tasting. This semi-sweet, intensely viscous wine reveals layer upon layer of flavor as the finish unfolds, for minutes on end. As I savor the last sip, I feel so grateful for the fact that these treasures no longer go anonymously to en masse cooperative production--and that somebody ferrets them out and brings them to the American market.

We head back down the hill, into Ampuis. Michael and Justin find a bistro for lunch. Inspired by the dramatic landscape that surrounds us, as well as the passion of the people that we have met, I decide to stay in the car and type. A baguette from last night’s hotel and a few pieces of ham that have been with us since Burgundy make a perfect worker’s lunch.

A drive south takes us to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, to meet with Eric Plumet at La Cabotte. Domaine d’Ardhuy, based in Burgundy, owns this property. We taste through the entire 2007 and 2006 lineups. The 2008 crop was so short that the winery tanks stand empty.

In addition to their Chateauneuf-du-Pape, La Cabotte makes a few Cotes-du-Rhone Villages. Their “Garances” sees only stainless steel vat ageing; their “Gabrielle” goes half into vat, half into wood. Our group favors the former, as does Eric. He believes that oak impedes the expression of “terroir,” the unique set of aroma and flavor characteristics conveying the soil types, weather conditions, topography and farming practices that influence a wine’s production. The “Garances” takes its name from a plant used by the Romans for making red dye. In fact, this pigment drove the area’s economy for the duration of the empire.

In 2009, La Cabotte achieves biodynamic certification. The relatively warm, dry southerly climes of the Rhone pose less of a challenge to clean farming than the cool, wet conditions of Burgundy. Poor soils and old vines produce naturally low yields of highly concentrated grapes; Eric prunes his vines, but he never drops fruit. He does not face problems with rot, but he does treat the vines with a spray made of crushed rocks to increase the plant’s circulation. At harvest, he throws whole Grenache clusters into the fermentation vats, but de-stems almost everything else, from Syrah, to Cinsault, Cunoise, and Mourvedre.

For a parting gift, Eric produces three vials filled with oil and black truffles. His daughter’s dog possesses a nose for these pricey treats. As the saying goes, it’s been a tough year for wine, but a good season for tubers. A few days down the road, we discover that the seals aren’t exactly sound; our rental car becomes a giant mobile mushroom, and everywhere we go, our clothes bear a subtle, distinctive odor…