Review: Terres Dorees 2013 Moulin a Vent Beaujolais

The low-down: Beaujolais gets a bad rap - even from my wife, who associates it with her student days in Montreal. The culprit here is Beaujolais Nouveau, ready-to-drink and very affordable. At the other end of the spectrum are the Cru Beaujolais, and the king of those is Moulin a Vent (AOC), named after the windmill located on its hilltop. Its wines are most suitable for ageing - up to 15 years we're advised, but people have recently enjoyed vintages as early as 1929!

One of Moulin a Vent's revered produces is Jean-Paul Brun. His Domaine des Terres Dorées, 25 ha under vine, is located near the southern tip of Beaujolais, just north of Lyons, in an area known as the “Region of the Golden Stones.” Unlike many of his peers, he follows traditional, natural wine-making processes: e.g. no adding of industrial yeast, no chapitalization (the addition of sugar to increase alcohol levels), minimal filtration - to allow the wine to reflect its original aromas. Jean-Paul Brun chooses to age his red wines in oak, atypical for Beaujolais. His approach is so atypical that in 2007 two-thirds of his crop was rejected by the Beaujolais bureaucracy and had to bottled as Vin de Table.

The blend is 100% Gamay - think of the weight/richness of the Rhone, but maturing towards gamey pinot flavors. This wine is produced from a 4ha plot within Moulin a Vent.

Be careful when storing Beaujolais from natural producers (e.g. Brun), their wines contain little sulfur - i.e. nothing has been added to protect them from oxidization and/or destabilization. Keep them in your coldest and darkest cellar corner ... or, as we are about to, enjoy them young!

The take: On appearance, purpley-red with dark edges and a light center, leggy. On the nose, open, vivacious, earthy, polished with notes of sea salt, blackberry and citrus. Polished. On the attack, smooth, solid, peppery and fishy! Yep that's right. A little sour, a long finish, with hints of peach, mint and earth. With time it doesn't shake off its acidic bite, and continues to smell of the sea.

In closing: Intriguing, unique with an attractive structure.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Fact corner:

Country: France

Region: Moulin a Vent (AOC)

Producer: Jean-Paul Brun

Vintage: 2013

Grape: Gamay

Alcohol content: 12.0%

Serving temperature: n/a

Price range: Mid-range

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