Beaujolais' New Name to Reckon With
2010 Bouland Morgon "Delys"
Bold, Unabashed, Polished, Powerful
"It's clear by now that Daniel Bouland is one of Beaujolais's major as well as most consistent talents." - David Schildknecht
In recent years, aided by effusive praise like Schildknecht's above, Daniel Bouland's various Beaujolais have gained quite a following. Nevermind that there's less than a handful of internet search results - and no, Google, we don't mean "Daniel Boulud."
We do mean Bouland - maker of bold, unabashed Beaujolais with serious structure and depth.
These offer yet another stylistic glimpse at a region that's still trying to shrug off negative "quantity over quality" associations and is assuming a greater presence in the cellars and glasses of collectors. Bouland's wines offer up a level of polish and power while not being unfaithful to Beaujolais as a region or to its respective Crus and terroir-defined lieux-dits. Tasting Bouland's Morgon "Delys" next to his Morgon "Corcelette" clearly illustrates this.Â
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As a point of reference, think of the meaty depths of Roilette's cuvee Tardive, but then, make it more stylish, turn up the extract a bit. Bouland makes hearty, ageworthy Morgons with complexity to spare, with detail and an interesting combination of rusticity and flash.Â
Today's offer focuses on Bouland's 2010 Morgon Delys, a wine from the Delys lieu-dit in Morgon, which has 85-year-old vines and produces Bouland's most structured and ageworthy wine.Â
The 2010 Delys shows off dark berry fruit, smoke and spice - signature Morgon - along with pretty, floral top notes. It all gets wrapped around an energetic mineral core draped in gentle but persistent tannins. And it's all rendered with clarity and precision.
This is an excellent example of great winemaking in tune with the 2010 Beaujolais vintage, which is revealing itself as having produced many very compelling wines that offer a perfect contrast to the ripeness and richness of the acclaimed 2009 vintage. 2010 was marked by a slow march to ripeness, and the resultant wines are nervy while also feeling complete with ample concentration and length.
Stephen Tanzer's Josh Raynolds sums up 2010 as being about "fruit, structure and energy. Kind of a dream brew, in a sense." In 2010 you can have brightness, snap and plenty of refreshment. The minerality is more transparent, the acids are brighter and more vigorous, and the "gulpability" factor is in full force.Â
Which is not to say that Bouland's Delys doesn't come with steam in its tank: These characteristics complement Bouland's bigger-boned, riper style, and this 2010 Delys seems to have an easy five years ahead of it - quite likely more. At $21.60 a bottle on six-packs, this is one of those wines that's easy and lovely to cellar: It promises to evolve quite a bit in the mid-term and, for the price, there's no need to fuss over an "ideal" time to open a bottle.Â
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
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