Tasted in ‘Corcelette’ with Daniel Bouland, 05 February 2019.
Domaine Daniel Bouland
Corcelette 69910
Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 6 81 30 89 12
Daniel on 2018:
“It was a good harvest in both quantity and quality. For one time the weather was with us – growth was very fast in Spring when the weather was wet, and it wasn’t so warm which meant the maladies didn’t really develop, but then was hot and dry so that was that for potential maladies. In fact we were lucky, because if there had been more rain in the summer we would have had too many grapes, too much juice – it would have been a catastrophe. But it’s a good vintage – the sugars took their time to ferment though. I have more wine in 2018 than 2016 and 2017 combined – and 2015 wasn’t that much – the old vines having not produced much for three years recovered and delivered well. The degrees are a little higher in 2018 than in 2017 – similar to 2009, maybe even 2015..
“All the wines are in tank, we are not allowed to bottle before 14 February or commercialise for another month after that, but it won’t be like that here. I’m not yet sure, but I might start to make the first bottlings from April or May.”
Daniel on 2017:
“Everything was perfect, except that some sectors were hit by the the hail. And we were hit twice. Because of that, it was about half a harvest here – very similar in volume to 2016. Because there was less wine than in 2018, I only produced 4 Morgons, but fortunately it wasn’t a really large amount of work to triage the grapes, as the dried berries dropped to the floor – unlike in 2003 when we were hailed 3 times, and the dried grapes didn’t fall and I had some taste from the hail. 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…”
The wines…
Some great 2018s in waiting, but I’ll concentrate on the 2017s – simply an outstanding range – one of my top addresses in 2017!
Daniel also wanted to show his 2018s – and it mad sense as all (bar one) seemed fully in place and ‘ready’ – so we started with those. “They all need more time to finesse,” says Daniel, but it seems to me that much finessing has already been achieved. Some of the labelling still seems ‘fluid’ but Daniel says that some will have the foudre number on the label, others not, but to avoid confusion they will ‘rarely’ be sold side-by-side:
2018 Chiroubles
Not really a sandy soil here.
Lots of colour. Deep and sweetly fruited. Gas but energy, carbonic style but fresh and concentrated. Widens and holds very well, slowly mouth-watering
2018 Côte de Brouilly
South-facing, quite volcanic bluestone soil, the older vines directly above Château Thivin.
Equally deep. Narrower and deeper more graphite aroma. Swift, direct lithe and juicy. Long – ooh this could be great!
2018 Morgon Prés Jourdon
Leaving Villié-Morgon as you head to Fleurie near Doubie. This in a relatively recent Foudre.
The graphite of the last but with much more open volume. A little gas, more mobile and easy over the palate – less direction but no less mouth-watering juiciness. Powerfully but deliciously finishing. Yes!
2018 Morgon Bellevue ‘Sables’
On sand on a special porte-greffe which has a low production on a steeper slope. Cement tank elevage – with epoxy coating.
Narrower up top but deep and wide, graphite, faint pyrazine. Big, energetic, a touch of tannin, but very little grain. Muscular but no fat to the great finishing flavour.
2018 Morgon Bellevue ‘Cailloux’
This on the stones, but also older vines.
Very different – there is depth but the pyrazine of the last is transformed to florals here. Silkier, more mobile, complex, beautiful shape and elegance yet no lack of power or intensity. Fresh and long. Probably most people’s’ favourite.
2018 Morgon Corcelette
This with elevage in foudres. Also a sandy area.
This with a broad and floral nose though still a touch of pyrazine. Silky texture like the Cailloux, perfect tannin behind. Intense but delicious – great finishing!
2018 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles-Vignes
From Cailloux, slightly younger vines than the next
Less depth but wide and elegant, an almost silky nose. Deep, gorgeous, concentrated but fresh – there is really a weight here – wow wine – of such composure and finesse of flavour. Great without doubt!
2018 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles-Vignes
On sand with vines from 1927 – ‘It was a pleasure, it’s so long since these old vines have produced a normal volume.’
More dimension of aroma here – more depth too. A touch of reduction but also a more architectural volume in the mouth – beautiful texture, accented with modest tannin. Brilliant finishing again, less finesse but still plenty but more fine complexity. Bravo again!
2018 Morgon Les Delys
The younger of the two old vine cuvées
A touch of reduction – a nose that’s not yet full in place. But Oh this is so wide and fresh on the palate, very faint reduction but energy and depth of complex flavour. A tiny rasp of tannin, but not yet a wine to compete with th the two Corcelettes that came before – except perhaps in the finish….
2018 Morgon Les Delys
This from 1910 vines – the soil is the same as the last. ‘I really see the 2009 here’
Saturated colour. Ooh what a great nose – not super-large, but fine, silky and of depth. Supple, fresh, very wide, a little tannin, also not as finished as the Corcelettes, but mobile, complex and ultra-deep. A great wine in waiting…
2017:
2017 Chiroubles
Big aroma of florals. Supple, delicious, less impact of concentration but open and accessible – more drinkability today. This melts over the palate – deliciously – excellent wine, I love the finish –just sooo good!
No hail here – a normal harvest
Fresh, floral, wide – perhaps a little more concentration to the aromas too. Ooh that’s great – wide, intense, concentrated, depth of flavour – big wine but wine with freshness and drive. Proper, great wine – bravo! Brilliant persistence of flavour.
A little sweetness in the depth but here is a wine that is more about the beautiful floral perfume. Mouth-filling, fresh, architecturally-scaled wine, fabulously textured and of multi-dimensional complexity. Great without doubt. Successive layers of finishing flavour.
2017 Morgon Corcelettes Vieilles Vignes Foudre No7
Foudre elevage.
More depth of aroma, more complexity of fruit, less floral – to start. Narrower, more drive, more growing, widening, fresh, multi-dimensional again, a little more tannin – but hardly a grain – yes! – greatness in the finish once more. Ooh it fades a little quicker but leaving a haunting line…
15-20 hl/ha for most of these wines. These two wines wont be sold together – different markets.
Back to a nose with a bigger floral perfume. More floral in the mouth too – lots of fruit, mouth-filling, architectural volume once-more here – really it is the perfume and the weight of finishing flavour that separates these two wines – but the difference is stark today – bravo!
Less volume of aroma but an impressive width – more complex fruit and fainter flowers. More drive and direction, extra silk, a wine that melts in mouth-watering, juicy, fashion, Holding a long, stable finishing note, indeed a width – really the finer texture and a more persistent width of finishing flavour. Great, of-course.
Often a man of few words – are you happy with your 2017s? I asked – “Yes“