The Germans do that very, very well. There is no real competition for that varietal IMO. I have a few bottles of spectacular '76 that are still wonderful. I do not buy by region, I buy by varietal and choose the appropriate region.
Nothing wrong with that policy.
That is the reason I believe that the best of the French wines represent the best of what certain varietals can attain. The French have perfected the matching of varietals with locale.
However, what California lacks in matching locations, they make up for in better wine making technique (though the french are catching up).