2021 Jean-Paul Brun Domaine des Terres Dorees 'Grille Midi' Fleurie

Winemaker Notes:  100% Gamay. Jean-Paul farms 6 hectares in Fleurie, all of it in the celebrated lieu-dit of Grille Midi, a south-facing amphitheater of vines on poor, sandy, decomposed-granite soils over hard granite rock. This site yields wines of great concentration, power and longevity.There are two Terres Dorées bottlings from this vineyard: a straight Fleurie and a "Grille Midi". The key differences are vine age and the aging of the wines. The Fleurie is from the younger vines, which are around 40 years old, while the Grille Midi vines are 65 years and up. The wines are vinified the same way, like the rest of Jean-Paul's cru wines: the hand-harvested bunches are destemmed and fermented with native yeasts and without sulfur in concrete tanks. Maceration for the Grille Midi is the longest of all (along with the Moulin-à-Vent) at 6 weeks (vs. 3-4 weeks for the regular Fleurie). Grille Midi is one of only two Terres Dorées wines to be aged in wood (again, like the Moulin), in its case 8 months in old foudres (vs. concrete for the Fleurie). The wine is bottled with a light, non-sterile filtration and minimal sulfur.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2021 Fleurie Grille-Midi opens in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries, licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and supple, it's rich and seamless, with lively acids and impressive concentration for the vintage. No one has done more to validate the potential for quality in the southern Beaujolais than Jean-Paul Brun, and though he's beginning to contemplate retirement, for now it's still full speed ahead. As readers will remember, the approach at this address is frequently described as "Burgundian," which is to say, the fruit is destemmed and macerations last as long as four weeks, followed by élevage in used barrels. The 2021 vintage marks a return to a cooler, crunchier style of Beaujolais, though Brun's approach means that the wines, especially the top crus, are far from facile and will reward a bit of bottle age"