WTN: Beaujolais Champagne

Jean-Paul Brun 2004 Beaujolais Terres Dorées l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes, $13
Excellent, just what I want and expect from this producer. Great aromas of red berries, minerals, flowers and earth. Similarly great flavors of tart red berries with lots of minerals and earth. Very much a terroir wine, it also has ample bright acidity, some grainy tannins and a pleasant texture. Went fine with a variety of leftovers. Importer: Louis/Dressner.

Domaine Manoir du Carra 2005 Beaujolais-Villages Non-Filtre, $10
Very much on the high-toned, floral, perfumy side of things, but not out of balance and very refreshing and enjoyable with a slight spicy element adding interest. Great value. Went very nicely with chicken fajitas. Importer: Kysela.

JPC 2002 Fleurie Cuvée Champagne, $12
A bit muted and at first, I wonder if it’s over the hill or closed, but then it starts to open up. There is a floral/face powder/beety element there but it’s very mellow, with some nice earth and decent strawberry fruit a little more to the fore. It’s subtle and restrained but pretty well balanced, very smooth, refreshing and quite nice. Excellent match with penne with roasted cauliflower. Importer: Elite Wine Imports.

[David M. Bueker]

Bruce,

Did you get an element of tobacco ash on the nose of the Brun? That was all over the bottles I had (and no I'm not a smoker).

Did you get an element of tobacco ash on the nose of the Brun? That was all over the bottles I had (and no I'm not a smoker).

I don't recall anything like that; in fact, I remember being impressed with the clarity of aromas and flavors I encountered in this bottling. As for whether my bottle is from a better "batch," if such a thing is possible, I don't know. My nose is not the most discerning in the world and the range of aromas I tend to notice and pick out is not all that wide.

I do know that Bruns can be tricky sometimes. The first 2002 I had was full of merde; I've got others aging and will be interested to find out how they do. I enjoyed all the 2004s I had (this was my last bottle).