French wine gets by on its history. The soil the grapes grow in is getting so old and rocky, that many of the best French wines are coming out with that heavy mineral feel. Sure, there are some great French wines, but I believe most people like them because they are told to like them, not because they do.
IMO, many old school wines are living off their history. Most of the best Italian wines coming around now are not DOC or DOCG, because winemakers are getting more savvy with their planting & blending. Great wines come at the expense of not being "sanctioned" properly - completely different than here in the US, where you can do whatever the hell you want to a bottle of wine.
All of this is my opinion from the people I know - and I know some staunch French wine lovers.