Brouilly – Wine Snob

Tonight’s occasion: 2018 Brouilly La Croix des Rameaux by Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu, Burdundy, France.

Thick tense nose. A little shy at first. An intense leather. Lots of mushroom, saddle, barnyard, old victorian, damp woods/forest floor. So overwhelming, beyond that it is difficult to pinpoint the other layers. Far beneath it all is plum, black cherry and blackberry. Swirl vigorously and unlock the faintest hint of caramel. There is also a slight slate/mineral undertone.

The color and nose suggest massive tannins await but the body greets with good acidity and medium texture. The leather from the nose dominates the entire experience. It’s amazing. It’s as if this wine was infused with dirt and filterd through the terroir. Once opened up, plum turns into massive tannic grip that completely dominates the transition to a dry mineral finish leaving the palate parched. The leather turns smokey with a hint of tobacco.

This is a remarkable example of terroir expressed through the vine and into the wine. For that reason alone this wine is worth it. I also think it it still very young and will be an even more interesting and amazing wine in about 5 years. I would highly recommend picking one up and forget about it and thank me later.

Thanks to wine.com and their extensive library, you can now access most of the wines I review on here. You can use the link below to have Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu wines delivered to your doorstep.