"L'Ancien" means "the old one", and the name says it all. Jean-Paul Brun, who founded Domaine des Terres Dorées in 1979, chose this name to champion a style of Beaujolais from before the Beaujolais Nouveau craze: no carbonic maceration, no selected yeasts, no artifice. Vinified the Burgundian way from Gamay vines planted in southern Beaujolais around Charnay, this wine proves that, in the right hands, the generic appellation can produce something serious and ambitious. Sixty hectares farmed with respect for the environment and minimal intervention in the cellar: the aim is to stay true to the terroir.

The deep, bright and clear ruby colour heralds a Beaujolais of substance. The nose opens generously on ripe red fruit (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) before gaining complexity with notes of plum, candied orange and sweet spices. The palate is the house signature: a supple yet dense attack, fine tannins and perfectly integrated freshness. The wine is juicy, deep without heaviness, and the lightly mineral finish lingers with fine persistence. Understated and convincing.

Serve at 14-16°C (slightly chilled in summer) with grilled red meats, roast poultry, slow-cooked dishes with mushrooms or fine charcuterie. It also works very well with Saint-Nectaire or a roasted summer vegetable tart. Keeps for 2 to 3 years.