Vinopolis Sunday Supplement 12-8-18

The Powerful Beaujolais of Bouland

Freshly Restocked!

Daniel Bouland makes gutsy wines from old vines in the heart of Beaujolais premier appellations.  You often hear that they’re traditionally made and, although that’s true, it doesn’t begin to describe what makes the wines unique.  These are wines that recall what Beaujolais would have been like before industrial farming and certainly before industrial winemaking.  They’re special, powerful and age-worthy.

From a winemaking perspective, the closest comparison to what Daniel Bouland is doing is probably Domaine Dujac.  The cross-regional comparison probably violates some sort of law of wine-writing, but when you look at what Bouland does with his grapes, it makes sense.  There’s almost exclusively whole cluster fermentation at both houses and Bouland’s wine show as muscular and robust—capable of very long aging and transformation into profound wines.

The difference, of course, is that working with Gamay, Bouland’s wines are more immediately drinkable than anything from Dujac (Bouland also doesn’t use new oak on his wines).  And the prices are far below what top Burgundy can command. Young, the Bouland bottles show both intense fruit and structure—you wouldn’t necessarily think to drink Beaujolais with steak, but these are incredible pairings with even very hearty foods (especially since Gamay has a zesty freshness to it that keeps the meals light.

We sold through many of the recently arrived 2017’s but just received a new shipment, in time for the holidays.

In Stock Now:

Daniel Bouland Chiroubles ‘Chatenay’, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($34.95) $27 special
Wine Advocate 92 points ” The 2017 Chiroubles offers up a pretty bouquet of raspberries, red cherries, plums and dark chocolate, lent lift by pretty floral top notes. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, ample and succulent, with a layered core of fruit, fine tannins and mouthwatering acids. It hails from a steep hillside site and is matured in stainless steel.”

Daniel Bouland Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Melanie, Beaujolais 2016 750ML ($29.95) $24 special
Josh Raynolds 93 points “Lurid violet. A suave, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh red/blue fruits and potpourri, and a spicy element adds urgency. Bright, focused and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated yet lithe raspberry and boysenberry flavors that deepen with aeration. Distinctly graceful in style, finishing gently tannic and impressively long and leaving a sexy lavender pastille note behind.”

Daniel Bouland Cote de Brouilly Cuvee Melanie, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($34.95) $26 special
Wine Advocate 92+ points “From a south-facing site near Château Thivin, the 2017 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Melanie exhibits a deep bouquet of blackberry, wild berries, grilled meat, dark chocolate and licorice. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, rich and ample, with a juicy core of fruit, ripe but chewy structuring tannins in abundance and a gourmand, layered profile.”

Daniel Bouland Morgon Bellevue ‘Schiste’, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($34.95) $27 special
Wine Advocate 92 points “Rich aromas of raspberries and cherries introduce the 2017 Morgon Bellevue, a full-bodied, velvety but reserved wine with a deep, layered mid-palate, superb concentration and juicy acids. After the expressive Chiroubles and Côte de Brouilly, the Bellevue is a little more closed after its recent bottling, but it will be superb in the fullness of time.”

Daniel Bouland Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Foudre 4, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2017 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes (4) is brilliant, unfurling in the glass with notes of wild plums, cherries and cassis, complemented by savory aromas of grilled meat and loamy soil. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep and layered, with a slightly tauter, more tensile profile than the Corcelette that matured in foudre #7, as well as marginally more concentration. While the differences between the two bottlings aren’t sufficient to merit a divergence of scores, #7 is the purist’s choice and seemingly the best-adapted to sustained bottle age: it was the bottling I purchased for my own cellar.”

Daniel Bouland Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Foudre 7, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2017 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes (7) wafts from the glass with a creamy bouquet of cherries, cassis, dried flowers, dark chocolate, licorice and plums. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and velvety, with juicy acids and fine tannins that are entirely concealed by a deep, layered core of fruit. Concentrated but mouthwatering, it’s quintessential Corcelette. There are two separate bottlings this year, numbered respectively as (4) and (7) to designate two different foudres that Bouland opted to distinguish to his clientele for the first time: this note refers to foudre #7, which hails from Tonnellerie Rousseau and represents a more recent addition to the cellar than the older, larger foudre #4.”

Daniel Bouland Morgon Delys, Beaujolais 2017 750ML ($39.95) $33 special
Wine Advocate 96 points “From vines planted in sandy soils in 1926, the 2017 Morgon Les Delys Vieilles Vignes is a stunning wine that ranks as one of the vintage’s qualitative peaks, wafting from the glass with a kaleidoscopic bouquet of cassis, plums, cured meats, dark chocolate, wood smoke and rich soil tones. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, multidimensional and immensely concentrated, with fine tannins, tangy acids and an incredibly long finish. The sheer density of old vine extract in this bottling is more reminiscent of a young Clape Cornas than it is of most contemporary Beaujolais, but the winemaking here is utterly classical and there’s nothing forced about it. The most reserved of Bouland’s wines, the 2017 Delys will require at least 2 or 3 years of bottle age and reward a full 10.”

Domaine Fourrier makes some of the most captivating wines in Burgundy. To Burgophiles, this isn’t much of a claim—the wines that Jean-Marie has produced since taking over from his father have become hot tickets in the Burgundy world. If you aren’t familiar, though, these are wines to put on your radar. Fourrier’s style is heavily influenced by his time working under Henri Jayer and the wines show this.

When young they’re among the most impressive in Burgundy, combining succulent fruit with minerality and a complexity that’s nearly unmatched in newly released wines. They improve with age, as well, though we’ve always had a hard time keeping our hands off of the lower-tier wines in the first five years after the vintage. Fourrier works exclusively with old massale vineyards (anything from vines younger than 30 years is sold off) and that sort of soul really makes it into the bottle.

We’ve got some new wines from Fourrier arriving soon, including the nearly-impossible-to-find Griotte-Chambertin and (negociant) Clos de Beze (and more). We’ve included some highlights below, but you can see all 20 bottlings on our web store by clicking here.

Arriving This Month:

Only one bottle available
Jean-Marie Fourrier Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits 2015 750ML ($699.95) $599 pre-arrival special
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 93-95 points “Moderately saturated medium red. High-pitched perfume of raspberry and crushed rock. Savory and sharply delineated, conveying strong soil character to its flavors of raspberry, minerals and rose petal. Still tight but not austere, this compellingly juicy wine finishes brisk and very long. This will need time in bottle to open and blossom. These vines are located just above Fourrier’s Cherbaudes holding.”
Burghound 92-95 points “Discreet wood does not interfere with the clear expression of the wonderfully spicy red currant, black cherry and softly earthy-scented nose. There is much more refinement to the powerful, intense and moderately dense flavors that delivers excellent complexity and outstanding length. A wine of class and grace.”

Only two bottles available
Jean-Marie Fourrier Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne, Cote de Nuits 2015 750ML ($779.95) $679 pre-arrival special
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2015 Chambertin Grand Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet with black cherries, crushed strawberry, bergamot and rose petal scents, the mineralité surfacing with a few swirls of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, gentle grip, fine structure with impressive density on the finish. The elegance will come later, with bottle age.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94-96 points “(made from even smaller berries than the Clos de Bèze, according to Fourrier; this fruit was picked on September 20; just one new barrel out of four): Deep red. Wild, soil-driven scents of raspberry, minerals, spices and game. Boasts outstanding richness and depth of texture without heaviness, although some unabsorbed CO2 is muting the wine’s fruit today. Most impressive today on the spicy, building finish, which features utterly noble tannins and pronounced terroir character. “The magic of 2015 was the way the vines were able to maintain their plateau of ripeness for two weeks,” noted Fourrier.”
Burghound 93-95 points “Don’t miss! A prominently less spicy but even more complex nose displays admirable purity on the cool, dense and restrained array of various black berry fruit, earth, forest floor and a hint of the sauvage. The more mineral-driven and overtly powerful big-bodied flavors possess even better energy if less refinement on the hugely long, serious and built-to-age finale. This will absolutely require at least a decade of bottle age and reward double that.”

Only three bottles available
Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2008 750ML ($699.95) $599 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques engages all of the senses with its cool, mineral-laced fruit and expressive bouquet. This shows marvelous tension and energy, not to mention fabulous overall balance. It could not be more different in style than the 2009 tasted alongside it. Both are fabulous, though. The 2008 is one of the more backward wines of the vintage and will require considerable patience.”

Only two bottles available
Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2014 750ML ($669.95) $599 pre-arrival special
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94 points “Healthy medium red. Sexy, complex aromas of strawberry, crushed stone and rose petal convey a captivating combe coolness. Wonderfully concentrated and bright, combining classic 2014 salty minerality with superb fruit intensity. Boasts the kind of restrained generosity of fruit that reminds me of the ’99s in the early going. A compelling, saline vin de terroir but not a powerhouse. The long, rising finish features very suave tannins.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, Jean-Marie Fourrier’s 2014 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques (labelled with “Vieilles Vignes”) has a very pure bouquet, almost coulis-like fruit, dark cherries intermingling with blueberry and light marmalade scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite sensual in the mouth with good depth on the finish. Perhaps what it is missing is that peacock’s tail—it sort of ends in the wrong key. There is great potential here though not best in the (Clos Saint-Jacques) show this year. Like a television with its contrast turned up a bit too high when compared to its peers. Tasted September 2017.”
Burghound 92-94 points “Sweet Spot Outstanding. This is at once cooler and more elegant with its airy assortment of pure red and blue pinot fruit, floral, spice, earth and tea scents. There is fine intensity and excellent delineation to the pungently mineral-inflected and refined medium weight flavors where the sense of refinement is enhanced by the super fine-grained tannins, all wrapped in an explosively long and perfectly balanced finale. In a word, marvelous.”

Only one bottle available
Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne, Cote de Nuits 2009 750ML ($1399.95) $1199 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is a relatively delicate, ethereal wine with expressive aromatics and understated fruit. Deceptively medium in body, the Griotte needs time to flesh out a bit, but it is a stunner. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029.”
Stephen Tanzer 94+ points “Medium red. Slightly high-toned aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, violet and licorice. The high-toned quality carries through in the mouth, where the sappy-sweet black and blue fruit flavors are complicated by saline soil tones. Less creamy than some of Fourrier’s 2009 premier crus, this very firmly structured, long wine will demand patience. The lovely lift on the back end suggests that it has the energy for a long evolution. Fourrier now gets all his corks from a single supplier in Corsica, who simply steams them and does not use a peroxide solution.”
Burghound 94 points “This is also intensely floral as well as quite elegant with a highly attractive sense of freshness to the high-toned red berry and wet stone suffused aromas. The seductively textured, concentrated and mouth coating flavors possess a taut muscularity on the refined, intense and hugely long finish where a discreet touch of wood surfaces. This should make for a seriously fine example of the appellation in a decade or so yet thanks for the ample dry extract, it should be enjoyable young if desired.”

Only one bottle available
Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne, Cote de Nuits GC 2014 750ML ($899.95) $799 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2014 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense bouquet with maraschino, blueberry and violets blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe black fruit, blueberry and a hint of balsamic, leading to a quite a structured and dense finish that just needs a touch more finesse. I think that will develop with time. Superb.”
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 94+ points “Good medium red. Strawberry and rose petal on the nose. At once dense and brisk, displaying a penetrating quality to its seamless, fine-grained flavors of red fruits and orange zest. Wonderfully taut and energetic but also fine-grained and suave. Less saline today than the Clos Saint-Jacques but boasts terrific fruit and mineral extension on the long, savory finish.”

Want to see all 20 bottlings of Fourrier, in stock and arriving soon, on our web store? You can by clicking here.