Tasted in ‘Corcelette’ with Daniel Bouland, 12 February 2018.
Domaine Daniel Bouland
Corcelette 69910
Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 6 81 30 89 12
Daniel on 2017:
“2017 was a nice year for me with a better yield than in 2015 or 2016. The hail passed to the left and it passed to the right – this year we were very lucky! Morgon was the only area with lower yield – 40 hl/ha – it looks like a good vintage. The vines were on the limit of hydric stress and we were lucky to have some rain 8 days before the harvest – that helped to regain any sagging morale…”
Daniel on 2016:
“2016 is very typically Beaujolais, the wines progress well. Yes, when you visited last year, the very small harvest in 2015 meant that some cuvées were already sold out in January – this year there is still some wine – though much is reserved.
“Here was the worst area for hail – we are pretty much between Villié-Morgon close to Chiroubles. We were less touched than some but still there was plenty of hail. I’m lucky that my vines in Chiroubles were shielded by a wooded area – so I was able to make the rendement. Still, I ended with only half a harvest – 26 hl/ha.”
The wines…
What a great line-up – drink the bought Brouilly and wait a little time for the rest – you will be amply rewarded – one of the greatest addresses in 2016!
The Chiroubles and Morgon-Delys see elevage in stainless-steel, it’s foudres for most of the others.
2016 Chiroubles
Not really a sandy soil here.Hailed
A deep nose of width and deliciously muscled fruit interest – yes! Supple, concentrated, layers of flavour here. There’s width but this is essentially a direct wine, but it’s also a completely delicious and well structured wine – mineral in the long finish. Yum!
“Because we were hailed, I was able to buy some Côte de Brouilly:”
2016 Côte de Brouilly
More west-facing with a sandy soil, less blue than the domaine wine which follows.
A bigger, brighter fruit on the nose. Supple, wider, melting across the palate – insistent, super flavour – really a bramble fruit here that’s both penetrating and excellent – such a ‘giving’ wine.
South-facing, quite volcanic bluestone soil, the older vines directly above Château Thivin.
Deeper and darker aromas of fruit – beautiful clarity. A little extra freshness, more energy and complexity – what a difference! Super complex, super depth of flavour, less composed than the last but just a great wine, really a tenacious finish.
Daniel comments “You should wait at least a year for all the bottles – they were all difficult after bottling, but now every time I taste, I see some improvement in amplitude. They were bottled up to September 2017.”
2016 Morgon Corcelette
Almost an inky depth of aroma – a little tighter below. Fresh, cool fruited – starts broad and velvety – slowly filling the mouth – the concentration is very impressive, slowly opening with flashes of pure dark fruit – this is really super wine – of attention-holding depth. Such an impressive ball of tight flavours – this will take time to open out, but it will be worth it. Holding a long mineral and quite direct line. Simply excellent.
A more overtly complex nose of flowers/pyrazine aspects and mineral impressions. Fresh with cool fruit again – the palate complexity very much reflecting all the facets of the nose – the texture a little more sophisticated vs the Corcelette. More open-endedly long finishing too – potentially a great wine I think!
‘Virtually pure sand here but it’s the subsoil that makes the difference in Morgon.Eighty years-old is the average vine age here – with the hail they managed to deliver just 15 hl/ha.’
Impressive depth of colour. A tighter nose, but a very fine nose – almost silky and slowly relaxing to offer a little floral adjunct. Wow – wide, silken wine, fabulous dimensions of flavour, just a suggestion of salinity in here. Waves of finishing flavour – another that seems open-ended in the finish – bravo!
Also, relatively, this is quite a compact nose, but there’s a fine purity to the dark fruit, time adding some more floral components. More volume, more energy, melting flavour. Also opening out wider and wider as you head towards the finish – super intensity of pure, defined fruit. Wow delicious. The last is the easier of these two to appreciate today – but this could also be the winner in 3-5 years – bravo again.