2006 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Beaujolais L'Ancien V.V.

Had this last night, didn't take notes, but had excellent fruit, interesting spice (cloves?) notes, vibrant acidity, and an excellent mouthfeel. Very satisfying, though not overly complex. Was concerned after David's recent bad experience with the artificial cork Brun uses, but it was in good shape, maybe because one year younger.

The only problem I had with it was the lack of "gamay-city," though a little research shows that what I refer to as "gamay-city" may have little to do with gamay, after all. Reading up on Brun, I see that his wines are not made with 71B (isoamyl acetate), the chemical yeast many attribute the banana flavor often found in Beaujolais wine. He only uses indigenous yeasts to better express the terroir.

While is fine and desirable, and the wine was excellent, I did find myself wondering: "when I have a beaujolais, do I want it, goddamit, to taste like a beaujolais?"

Had this last night, didn't take notes, but had excellent fruit, interesting spice (cloves?) notes, vibrant acidity, and an excellent mouthfeel. Very satisfying, though not overly complex. Was concerned after David's recent bad experience with the artificial cork Brun uses, but it was in good shape, maybe because one year younger.

The only problem I had with it was the lack of "gamay-city," though a little research shows that what I refer to as "gamay-city" may have little to do with gamay, after all. Reading up on Brun, I see that his wines are not made with 71B (isoamyl acetate), the chemical yeast many attribute the banana flavor often found in Beaujolais wine. He only uses indigenous yeasts to better express the terroir.

While is fine and desirable, and the wine was excellent, I did find myself wondering: "when I have a beaujolais, do I want it, goddamit, to taste like a beaujolais?"

Oswaldo, perhaps you should ask yourself instead, "when I have a beaujolais, do I want it, goddamit, to taste like a banana?" I have no doubt that JP Brun would tell you that this is not what Beaujolais should taste like. Georges Duboeuf might tell you differently, but whose wines would you rather drink?

Just my 2 oz.,

A part of me totally agrees with you, Geo, hence my comment that perhaps I have been wanting "gamay-city" to come from something that may not have much to do with Gamay.

However, while I have never liked Duboeuf, I do like Jadot, and their everyday Beaujolais Villages, without being anything special, long ago became my platonic ideal of what beaujolais "tastes like."

So, if the hallmark beaujolais flavor comes more from the yeast than from the grape (for the sake of argument, since this is probably an overstatement), another part of me wonders whether I want a "better made" wine that doesn't taste like beaujolais (like the Brun Vieilles Vignes) or do I want my beaujolais to taste like beaujolais (like Jadot), even if that results from less "honest" winemaking. Because I know that if I want a "better made" wine that doesn't taste like beaujolais, I'm not going to go looking for it in Beaujolais.

I guess this discussion is not so much about beaujolais, gamay and artificial yeasts but about the larger (inexaustible and controversial) issue of tipicity. It appears that some Brun wines are being denied AOC status because of insufficient tipicity, similar to what happened to Jean Thevenet's Viré-Clessés. Tipicity is not laudable when it becomes a AOC straightjacket, but the truth is I do like tipicity in wine.

Interesting debate ) I had a similar reaction to a hipster Cot (Malbec) the other day. Very natural tasting, and all, but absolutely nothing like Argentinean Malbec, which is is kinda my benchmark now.

On the other hand, maybe I've been "lucky" to start Beaujolais from the Cru Bojo side. I've never had the banana flavor, instead the wines I've liked have been either a blast of berry fruit and earth or the cloves you mention.

a hipster Cot (Malbec) the other day. Very natural tasting, and all, but absolutely nothing like Argentinean Malbec, which is is kinda my benchmark now..

!!

What about Cahors?

I have a Cahors in my drinking cue right now I picked up at Terroir the other week. I've also had Lagrazette (sp??) which is actually carried by BevMo. I think that is closer to the Argentine, if I recall correctly (it wasn't particularly memorable )