Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to visit with winemakers from two iconic wineries in completely different parts of the world: Australia and California.

I’ve noticed that each time I visit a winery or do a tasting with a winemaker, no matter how many dozens of pages of notes I scrawl, I always leave with one major take-away.

Here’s what’s stayed top of mind.

Virginia Willcock has been the chief winemaker at Western Australia’s Vasse Felix since 2006, and she was named Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine’s 2012 Australian winemaker of the year. At a recent sit-down tasting at the Vancouver Club, Willcock was presenting Vasse Felix’s Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays. When asked about her winery’s Sauvignon Blanc–Sémillon blend, she said, “You know, that stuff sells itself; we don’t have to talk about it much. For me, though, I think it’s Margaret River Chardonnay that deserves more attention.”

With Margaret River’s proximity to the coast and gravelly soils, you can see why Cabernet Sauvignon and those Sauvignon Blanc–Sémillon blends would do well; their natural home in Bordeaux features similar attributes. But Chardonnay, even though there’s less of it produced in the region than Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, could very well be the star of the show. As I think about it, almost every one I’ve had from the region has shone, and talk about sense of place!

As you drive along the roads of Margaret River, there are thousands of eucalyptus trees around, along with ocean breezes wafting through them—an intoxicating mix. Local Chardonnay picks up on that, making it lifted and wonderfully aromatic. Willcock’s Vasse Felix 2011 Chardonnay ($30 to $35, private liquor stores) hits that stride, and her employment of whole-bunch pressing, wild ferments, and French-oak aging on the lees for nine months makes for a well-balanced bottle. I’d tend to agree with her: Margaret River Chardonnay does deserve more attention, so grab yourself a bottle. I spotted it most recently at Everything Wine’s North Vancouver location.

Back in June, I was invited to Robert Mondavi Winery in California’s Napa Valley for a trip that focused on its home To Kalon vineyard. In 1868, a gent named H. W. Crabb planted a few hundred grape varieties to see what worked in the region.

Fastforward to today, and the vineyard is largely owned by three entities: Robert Mondavi Winery, Opus One (a joint venture between Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux’s Baroness Philippine de Rothschild), and a grape-grower named Andy Beckstoffer, along with the 40-acre Oakville Research Station, which is managed by UC Davis. It’s mostly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a smattering of other Napa classics like Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

The vineyard is one of the most renowned—if not the most renowned—in the U.S. It begins on the lower slope at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, and as it flattens out away from the mountains, the alluvial fan moves from gravel and rocky soil to finer, mineral-driven clay and sandy soil, all of which have good drainage. Those elements—plus the hot, sunny days that are perfect for optimal ripeness and quite-cool nights that assist in preserving natural acidity—combine to make To Kalon a hotbed of excellent winegrowing.

Of course, you need someone who knows what to do with that fruit to make excellent wine. Genevieve Janssens has been the director of winemaking at Robert Mondavi Winery since 1997, and she harnesses the vineyard’s qualities without getting in the way of the many natural elements it lends. As you might imagine, the vineyard’s iconic nature and typically low yields make for wines that can be quite expensive, especially the Cabernet Sauvignons, which usually go for hundreds of dollars. The most acces­sible wine is Robert Mondavi Winery’s 2012 Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Fumé Blanc ($41.99, B.C. Liquor Stores).

My take-away in this case is that a winery so historic and well-known, but also so ubiquitous at all price points that it’s often overlooked by those searching for the latest and greatest, produces a wine that doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars that can stop me in my tracks. The vines for To Kalon Fumé Blanc were planted in 1960, so they’ve had plenty of time to earn character; they’re also dry-farmed, bringing wonderful fruit intensity. At once crisp and lively with orange zest and fresh lime, the wine also has layers of guava, jasmine, and lemongrass, and then a beautiful marzipan note courtesy of French-oak aging on its lees, stirred a couple times per week.

There’s a sense of place here that’s well worth the price.