Daniel Bouland Cote de Brouilly "Cuvee Melanie" 2021

92 pts Wine AdvocateOpening in the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums, spices and smoke, the 2021 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Melanie is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with a sweet core of fruit, tangy acids, powdery tannins and penetrating finish. It's one example of a 2021 that I prefer to its riper, more powerful 2020 counterpart. Daniel Bouland has turned out another very successful set of wines in this challenging vintage, which has delivered a cooler, brighter, lower-alcohol style, rendered with all the concentration and plenitude one has come to expect from this address. Bouland reported that fermentations went quickly, so macerations were a touch shorter than in recent years. As usual, maturation was in foudre and tank, and several cuvées had only been bottled a few weeks before my visit. This estate continues to represent a reference point for the Beaujolais, and everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended.