Tasted in ‘Corcelette’ with Daniel Bouland, 07 February 2023.
Domaine Daniel Bouland
Corcelette 69910
Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 6 81 30 89 12
More reports with Domaine Daniel Bouland
Daniel on 2022:
“It was difficult from the perspective of fermentations – but we got there – we thought there might be a bit more juice but we pressed – it’s not too bad – it’s nature and it’s a good vintage. We missed a day of rain to make it the best but I’m not complaining.”
Daniel on 2021:
“I made my volume but it’s – well – well, it’s 2021. The last were bottled after the 22 harvest – so that was in October… The mid-slopes weren’t touched by the frost here – and all my vines are in this area – it wasn’t good on the high slopes or at the base of the hills. No problems with the fermentations – on the contrary, they were almost a bit too fast.”
The wines…
As, always, some covetable wines chez Daniel – I particularly liked the perfume of his ‘sables’ cuvées in this vintage. But like in 2019 & 2020 he has some wines with obvious pyrazines – though he thinks the herbacity is fading, he says it was much worse before bottling. “They have developed in bottled – in a good sense.”
2021 Chiroubles
Not really a sandy soil here.
Lots of volume, darker cherry fruit with a little chocolate impression. Supple, fine acidity, mouth-watering – generous and slightly easy – long-lasting, almost juicy finishing – it needs another 6-12 months – perhaps in the summer. Delicious and just missing a last hint of sucrosity for absolutely excellent.
2021 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Mélaine
South-facing, quite volcanic bluestone soil, the older vines directly above Château Thivin.
A fine, fresh – very Beaujolais width of slightly dark-fruited energy. Supple, certainly more concentration – perhaps the faintest of green in this wine – but invigorating and full of energy. Dark chocolate bitters and good length – this is very good.
2021 Morgon Corcelette
Open and much more airy nose – not the same density. Direct, open like the nose – an airy style still with a little Morgon structure but very mouth-watering. Modest concentration but fine flavour energy and even a little finishing salinity. Long finishing. Delightful.
2021 Morgon Prés Jourdan
Leaving Villié-Morgon as you head to Fleurie near Doubie. This with elevage in a relatively recent Foudre.
A broader nose, more complex and more herbed. In the mouth there’s extra – and more insistent – volume here. Fine clarity and tons of complexity – subtly herbed again but not to the extent of overt pyrazines. Clean and enjoyable finishing – I love this finish – slightly chalky finishing.
Morgon Bellevue is split into two cuvées – one for the sand and one for the stones – different porte-greffes (root-stocks/plant material) here too – both with concrete tank elevage. “Yes, the soil is completely different but it’s only a small track that separates them… :”
2021 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.
A more floral nose – peony and a little gentian complexity too. Sleek, silky – mouth-filling wine – always on the edge of a green complexity – but also never overt – beautifully shaped and structured with an equally beautiful mouth-watering finish – simply excellent wine.
2021 Morgon Bellevue ‘Cailloux’
This on the stones, but also older vines.
A darker fruit – less overt energy to these aromas. A breadth of cool shape – starting silky, the tannin slowly changing that to velvet. Juicy in the finish – more inner density here and more to wait for – it’s the Sables that is open today – but this not. A faint tannin that holds a minute or two in the mouth. Just wait – 3 years and start to enjoy…
The Corcelette old-vines is also split into sand (stainless-steel elevage) and stones (foudre) – some of the oldest vines here are from 1925:
2021 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles-Vignes ‘Sables’
There’s much in common, aromatically, between this and the Bellevue Sables – open, peony, perhaps gentian perfumes. Cooler – colder – impression there’s some steel to this structure. Ooh, I find this young but properly great in the middle and finish!
Broader – more power – similarities, again, to the previous ‘Cailloux.’ Large-scale, supple, mouth-filling wine of concentration but still lots of energy – some green hints in the flavours but here is a little luxury to the extra cushioned texture. Never overly generous – such an impressive wine. If you don’t note pyrazine – and here it is anyway a tiny thing – this is a great wine!
2021 Morgon Les Delys
This the younger vine cuvée a mix of vines from the 1970s and 1980s – from more than 2 hectares around the house.
A tighter nose to start – cushioned darker-red fruit. Fresh – panoramic in width, less ready, the structural tannin more visible. But easing over the palate, becoming more compliant, the finish becoming more stony and intense.
Of course the name is the age of the vines – ‘There’s no replacements in the vineyard – they are too old and I can’t find the grafts I need – that’s a big problem in general!’
A deeper nose, starting narrower, a faint cushion to this dark fruit – air opening this with a slightly granular complexity. Altogether different in the mouth – clean, complex, more mobile – almost fluid in style – a rising intensity in the finish. There is some structure like the previous one but more contained. The finish, slowly fading, is mouth-watering and extra long. Hiding much today but there’s a chance for greatness despite the expression being much tighter than the two previous vv cuvées.
And a blanc? Vines in St.Jean des Vignes:
2021 Beaujolais Blanc
Diam style seal – it’s cork for all the other wines – no frost here either.
Plenty of golden colour. Hmm – there’s a lot of interest here – energy and fine points of complexity too. Supple, good width – incisive but nothing hard – growing more generous and texturally silky. The fruit is ripe but not overdone – there’s even a small floral character to this. Chalky finishing and holding surprisingly well – this is an excellent BJ Blanc!