2010 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Blanc
12% abv. Slight butter aromas but mostly this is about purity of fruit: apples and citrus and minerals, a Chardonnay that really seems to smell of Chardonnay rather than manipulation. There is a deceptive lightness to this wine that I guess is caused by the highish acidity, the lack of oak and its purity. But re-drinking this made me understand that this is actually a very substantial wine, concentrated and intense - but it has an illusion of lightness about it. I think a sense of paradox is crucial in a wine if one is to enjoy drinking numerous bottles of it, and this wine certainly is paradoxical in being both substantial and light. Therefore I bought a case to drink this summer (I rarely buy more than a couple bottles of any one wine). This paradox is a theme that seems to run through almost every Brun I try.
2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Roussanne Vin de Table Français
12% abv. This is quite a lovely wine. It does show more ripeness than the 2008 and therefore shows slight hints of a more typical, warmer climate Roussanne with some apricot aromas in addition to the delicate floral and mineral ones. Delicately honeyed yet retains an acidity that I rarely experience with this grape. Rich and racy at the same time. Lovely.
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