Happening Now Tasting 5: Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Blanc 2011

My first Beaujolais on the Blog and possibly my first white Beaujolais ever! I guess I am not particularly into wines from this - in recent years once again highly regarded - region in the east of France. Can't really give you a proper reason for this personal deficit or reluctance. Maybe it's about a few certain cheesy flavours of Gamay?! No general assumption though! Anyway, I am open to attempts of conversion! I am glad about any recommendation! Today is no Gamay-Time, it's Chardonnay-Time! Chardonnay or other white grape varietals suffer a dire life in Beaujolais. Only a very few percentages of the entire cultivated area are dressed white. Today's Chardonnay is from one of the famous and reliable names in Beaujolais: Jean-Paul Brun. For about twenty years Jean-Paul tries (and accomplishes) to produce traditional Beaujolais wines from clay and limestone soils. Let's have a short glimpse at my first impressions …

6:48 pm

Colour: inconspicuous, very clear (apart of the super dry cork dust)

Nose: very pleasant fragrances of freshly cut field flowers, rather mute and slightly artificial seeming vanilla, hints of cream candy, reserved impressions of lemons and not so appealing odour of cellulose and recently fitted gauze bandage. Right now the nose seems a bit unsettled and outré

Taste: polished and tender touch of lively not too sour lemon fruit, impressions of candy'ish and a bit cheesy bright red berry flavours, traces of caramel cream candy and a slightly over candied finish. Right now a rather light, uncomplicated, refreshing and a bit cheesy (not lactic, just to make sure) Chardonnay. I hope the Kitsch will take its leave! 

8:26 pm

Colour: This time a bit of a change, no cork dust ... what a surprise ;-) - my bad

Nose: the powdery artificial seeming vanilla remains the way it was, luckily the slightly repulsive cellulose & Co scents are attempting to pass along into oblivion and a more lively fruitful character of lemons and pulp'y red apples is evolving … so far a little improvement and settling

Taste: in contrast to the nose not some much of a considerable change, a bit more broad fruitful, more very ripe lemon, not so much of those nasal pulp'y apples, still nice creaminess with diminishing caramel flavours and an minimally lengthening finish.

9:54 pm

Nose: no real change, the apples getting more and more getting apparent and the vanilla-issue is slightly “alleviating”

Taste: getting a bit more serious and complex, less creamy, only minor changes however are going on;

Supposedly not the best choice for a “Happening Now Tasting” ... maybe a bit dull

7:05 pm (next day)

Nose: the flowers are gone, vanilla is still present, cheesy'ness almost vanished, the fragrances of ripe lemons turned towards grapefruit, the apples are still remaining, overall the seems to withstand a 24h oxi-exposure

Taste: a bit more rough and slightly flattened, but not flat-lining, the fruit flavours used to be more convincing, certain vanilla flavours are strengthening, the finish is a bit too dominated by flavours of cheap vanilla.

Conclusion: Reasonable so-so *** Chardonnay with a little bit too much kitschy scents and flavours on the first day. Without such suger-candy issues and the pretty high dose of vanilla this one might have been a bit more convincing.