An icon among Burgundy wines, Jean-Paul Brun knows about wine. Considered by many a forerunner to the biodynamic farming movement he turned much of his property over to “nature’s terms” as long ago as 1977. “I started thinking about how we were working the soil, and it became increasingly important to get closer to nature and to protect the land for future generations,” he says. “If we let the industrial, streamlined wines continue to take over at the current pace, there will be no grapes left for us to make ‘real’ wine with”. What does ‘real’ mean to him? “A Burgundy wine made by an artisan, with love and intent”.

Wise words indeed, and ones that are reflected in the superlative product of his domaine. Literally meaning “golden lands” Brun’s 48-hectare property is planted with 80% red vines - Pinot noir (5%), Gamay noir (95%); and 20% white Chardonnay (90%), Roussanne (10%). And here is where it gets interesting. Terre Dorees’ terroir is principally granite, a soil best suited to Pinot Noir. Yet Brun, a man of astute foresight, saw the potential of planting Gamay grapes (a fruit traditionally suited to clay-limestone soils), thus giving his wines their characteristic smoothness and strength. Because of the atypical taste of the wine, Brun’s product is considered a giant among Beaujolais.

Domaine des Terres Dorées' has a wine portfolio that includes a wide spectrum of appellations, from the illustrious Morgon, Fleurie, Côte de Brouilly, Moulin-à-Vent, to the Beaujolais AOC. His diversity, style and innovation, along with his outspoken personality apparent both in his wines and interviews, has thus attracted the attention of overseas buyers. A quick turnaround time (he releases his wine almost a year after harvest, something of a rarity in Burgundy wines) has also worked in his favour and today 55% of his product is exported overseas. Wines remain extremely good value for money, around €12-15 a bottle.

The wine certainly tastes good to both the layman and the oenologue, and consistently scores very highly, but there is scant evidence of its value in terms of investability. However, Robert Parker called the 2008 Beaujolais Blanc In Extremis “great value”, pushing the prices up from the benchmark €14 to over €34. The price has been increasing over the past year, and we could possibly be at the start of some very interesting performances.