2020 L'ANCIEN BEAUJOLAIS
TERRES DOREES, JEAN PAUL BRUN
Jean Paul Brun is something of a legend in the winemaking world and known throughout Beaujolais as the original ‘farmer’ of the region. The farming is organic and harvest manual, although Brun doesn’t bother himself with the bureaucracy of the paperwork. The ‘terres dorees’ on which he grows his vines is a truly beautiful part of the region, and literally translates to the 'Region of Golden Stones.' Brun makes "old-style" Beaujolais, his vinification differs from the prevailing practices in the region. He believes that the charm of Gamay's fruit is best expressed by the grapes' indigenous yeasts, rather than by adding industrial yeast. Brun's view is that Beaujolais drinks best at a lower degree of alcohol and that there is no need to systematically add sugar to the must (chaptalize) to reach alcohol levels of 12 to 13 degrees. His Beaujolais is made to be pleasurable - light, fruity and delicious - not an artificially inflated wine that shines at tasting competitions. Only a minimal amount of S02 is used at bottling to keep the wine fresh and "headache-free." Fermentation naturally produces a lot of CO2, which acts as protection against oxidation during aging; leaving some in the wine at bottling time also helps to keep it fresh. Filtration is also minimal so that the wine keeps its original fruit and aromas.
The emphasis is not on weight, but on fruit: Beaujolais as it once was and as it truly should be.
TASTING NOTES
100% Gamay
A rich elegant shade of violet and delightfully aromatic; freshly picked violets, zingy pomegranate, red cherries, blackberries and redcurrants mingle with notes of strawberry jam, fresh pine and potting soil. The palate is medium-bodied, packed full of ripening red and black berries, new leather and marzipan. Tannins mellow after a few swirls in the glass and offer terrific balance to all of the fruit with black tea depth, and whilst the fruit components are as yet still a little unknit (bearing in mind L'Ancien tends to really hit it's stride at around 2 years old) this 2020 is already precociously delicious...
Also by Jean-Paul Brun and available at The Black Dog Wine Company: