Daniel Bouland, Morgon Vieilles Vignes “Les Delys 1926”

Overall, Bouland is known for a big-boned style of Morgon, but that should not be confused with “fat.” He farms around seven hectares of vineyards, including pieces of some of Morgon’s choicest single vineyards, or lieux-dits: “Corcelette,” “Bellevue,” and “Delys,” all of which boast vines exceeding 60 years of age. Soil structures obviously differ among these three, but a common thread is the heavily granitic subsoil that characterizes much of Morgon and makes its wines some of the most structured and mineral of all the Beaujolais crus. The “Delys” lieu-dit is home to Bouland’s oldest vines, planted in silty-clay loam (“sable”) over granite. Bouland’s production techniques are straightforward: fermentations are inoculated using only ambient yeasts, and the grape bunches are left intact (no destemming). Aging is carried out in large, used French oak casks and the wines are bottled with minimal fining and filtration. In the glass, Bouland’s 2021 Morgon “Delys” shows an opaque, dark r