Jean-Paul Brun Domaine des Terres Dorees Beaujolais L'Ancien Vieilles Vignes 2007
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The latest vintage of Terres Doree’s flagship, 2007 L’Ancien Vieilles Vignes may or may not be labeled “Beaujolais” as well, depending on when you buy it. Due to the volume produced and the regulations of the French quality “watchdogs” three sets of samples of the same wine had to be submitted to the committee of growers who authorize the appellation controllee. The first submission was approved, but the subsequent submissions of exactly the same wine weren’t just refused, they were repeatedly reported to be full of off-aromas. Truth be told, Brun’s conception of “ancient method” Beaujolais is simply not widely shared by the down-trodden majority of Beaujolais growers, and thus he joins the lengthening line of refusnik vignerons who can wear that status as an honor. To paraphrase Churchill: “In the morning, my wine will all be sold, but yours will still be insipid.” And how does this renegade Beaujolais actually taste? Its vivid aromas and flavors of tart fresh cherry are allied to flowers and distilled berries in the nose and a positively chewy sense of fruit skin on the palate. Salty, chalky notes add complexity to the most invigorating and indelible finish you are apt to encounter in any under-$20 red wine.
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Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
The bucolic region often identified as the southern part of Burgundy, Beaujolais actually doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the rest of the region in terms of climate, soil types and grape varieties. Beaujolais achieves its own identity with variations on style of one grape, Gamay.
Gamay was actually grown throughout all of Burgundy until 1395 when the Duke of Burgundy banished it south, making room for Pinot Noir to inhabit all of the “superior” hillsides of Burgundy proper. This was good news for Gamay as it produces a much better wine in the granitic soils of Beaujolais, compared with the limestone escarpments of the Côte d’Or.
Four styles of Beaujolais wines exist. The simplest, and one that has regrettably given the region a subpar reputation, is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the Beaujolais wine that is made using carbonic maceration (a quick fermentation that results in sweet aromas) and is released on the third Thursday of November in the same year as harvest. It's meant to drink young and is flirty, fruity and fun. The rest of Beaujolais is where the serious wines are found. Aside from the wines simply labelled, Beaujolais, there are the Beaujolais-Villages wines, which must come from the hilly northern part of the region, and offer reasonable values with some gems among them. The superior sections are the cru vineyards coming from ten distinct communes: St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly. Any cru Beajolais will have its commune name prominent on the label.