Daniel Bouland

History of Domaine Daniel Bouland

The Bouland family's winemaking history stretches back more than six generations and nearly a hundred years of vine cultivation in Beaujolais. The first family vines were planted as early as 1920, laying the foundations of a plant heritage that would span the century. Daniel Bouland inherited the estate after dividing it with his brother Raymond, also a winegrower established in the commune of Villié-Morgon. The two brothers regularly work together, particularly during the harvest, thus perpetuating the spirit of family solidarity. Daniel's current property is concentrated primarily around the hamlet of Corcelette, a terroir that now represents the beating heart of the estate.

In 2014, Daniel took on several additional plots in Corcelette, bringing the total area to around eight hectares. Rooted in the legacy of conventional viticulture from which he could not entirely break free, Daniel nevertheless remains closer to his vines than few winegrowers know how to be, never counting his hours. He tends three hectares in particular without any tractor, due to the steep slopes or the density of the very old gobelet-trained vines. An inveterate worker yet an anxious one, not easily forthcoming at first, Daniel gradually opens up when he receives visitors in his cellar and becomes so endearing that one finds it hard to leave. Somewhat cramped in his historic buildings, he developed a project to build a new winery to gain additional storage space. A skilled winemaker, Daniel produces great wines with modest means and at remarkably gentle prices, suggesting that with greater resources and a revaluation of his rates, this estate would undoubtedly rank among the top three in the whole of Beaujolais.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Daniel Bouland

Daniel Bouland's vineyards are spread across several exceptional terroirs in Beaujolais. The heart of the estate lies in Corcelette, between Villié-Morgon and Chiroubles, where Daniel now farms nearly six hectares representing 75 percent of total production. These plots rest on sandy soils with a highly variable quantity and size of stones, mixed with a good proportion of fine elements. The heritage of old gobelet-trained vines here is exceptional. The youngest vines, planted between 1985 and 1987 by Daniel himself, make up the most structured plots. The rest of the vineyard comprises very old, gnarled vines whose twisted shapes make it impossible for a tractor to pass through, the oldest vine dating from 1926 in the Delys climat. Exposures vary from plot to plot, but as the slopes are gentle, the vines benefit from optimal sunshine throughout the day. This generally warm and windy sector constitutes a relatively early-ripening terroir producing concentrated grapes. Daniel also owns vines in Douby in Morgon, a 35-are plot neighbouring the Desvignes estate, planted with sixty-year-old vines.

At Chiroubles, 70 ares are cultivated on very steep slopes (40 percent) on thin, very sandy soils resting on the bedrock, with vines of fifty years and older exposed to the north-east. This late-ripening terroir yields lighter wines, but Daniel draws from it in certain vintages a wine of very fine character over time. On Mont Brouilly for the Côte de Brouilly, 50 ares are ideally situated on one of the most qualitative parts of the appellation. All these plots are tended by hand with meticulous care, certified organic since 2012, testament to the winegrower's commitment to respecting the vine, the grape and the environment.

Winemaking at Domaine Daniel Bouland

The winemaking philosophy at Daniel Bouland favours the pure and authentic expression of terroir and vintage, with minimal intervention and absolute respect for the fruit. Harvesting is carried out by hand at optimal ripeness, with the grapes meticulously sorted to retain only the finest bunches. The wines are vinified using whole-cluster fermentation, a traditional Beaujolais technique that preserves the fruity freshness and aromatic finesse characteristic of gamay. Macerations last from ten to twelve days depending on the cuvée and the vintage, allowing gentle and progressive extraction of tannins, colour and aromas. Unlike certain Beaujolais producers who overuse carbonic maceration, Daniel seeks balance and elegance rather than excessive power. Ageing varies according to the cuvée. Wines from sandy terroirs are generally aged in stainless-steel tanks to preserve their freshness and immediate fruitiness.

The old-vine cuvées from stony terroirs benefit from ageing in fifty-hectolitre oak foudres, lending structure, complexity and ageing potential without masking the fruit with excessive oak. Certain plots are aged in concrete tanks with epoxy lining, allowing natural micro-oxygenation favourable to the harmonious development of the wine. Daniel neither filters nor excessively fines his wines, thereby preserving their authenticity and integrity. Yields are kept to around 50 hectolitres per hectare, making it possible to vinify each terroir separately and to express the nuances of each plot with precision. The house style is characterised by finesse, floral elegance, mentholated freshness and rounded tannins that lend an incomparable silkiness, never seeking raw power but always favouring precision of expression and harmony of flavours.

The cuvées of Domaine Daniel Bouland

The Beaujolais Blanc is the estate's only white wine, a confidential cuvée produced from chardonnay grown on a few ares. This rare wine offers the freshness, minerality and aromatic purity typical of white Beaujolais. The Beaujolais Villages represents the estate's entry-level wine, a fruity and moreish red made from young vines, offering the immediate expression of gamay with a ruby-violet colour, aromas of fresh red fruits and a round palate with supple tannins. Perfect for convivial drinking within two to three years.

The Chiroubles comes from 70 ares of vines planted on steep slopes on very sandy, thin soils. This wine reflects the airy, delicate character typical of the appellation, with a pale colour, an intense floral nose evoking violet and peony, a light yet structured palate driven by lively acidity and fine tannins. Although generally lighter, Daniel draws from it in certain vintages wines of great character capable of developing harmoniously over five to ten years. The Morgon Pré Jourdan, from the 35-are plot located on Douby neighbouring the Desvignes estate, offers an immediate and moreish Morgon with sufficient body, retaining the accessible character of the Douby terroir without any pretension to challenge time. Simple and pleasant, this wine is best enjoyed within three to five years.

The Morgon Bellevue Sables, acquired in 2014, comes from 35-year-old vines planted on sandy terroir with Viala rootstock. A medium-bodied wine with fine tannins, a surprising ethereal character and an elegant structure. The Morgon Corcelette represents the estate's flagship cuvée, from fifty-year-old vines cultivated at the historic heart of the property. This wine reveals a violet-garnet colour, a fresh and open nose reminiscent of the finest primeurs with fruity and floral notes, a precise, powerful and dynamic palate that engages all the senses. Impressive density combined with great class, tannins that develop beautifully with a few hours of aeration or a few years of cellaring. Ideal balance and great moments of pleasure assured, capable of developing over ten to fifteen years.

The Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Sables comes from several small old-vine plots on sandy terroir with 420A rootstock. This wine combines all the qualities that make Daniel's wines the finest in Morgon: finesse, floral elegance on the nose, mentholated freshness, and rounded tannins lending an incomparable silkiness. It does not rely on power but on precision of expression and harmony of flavours. The Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Cailloux, aged in a fifty-hectolitre foudre, comes from vines planted in 1927 on stony terroir. A superb floral, fruity nose evoking cherry stone, dried flowers and gentle spices. A palate of fine, precise tannins of great elegance, great taut substance in a very refined floral style, a long finish presaging a very fine ageing potential of fifteen to twenty years.

The Morgon Vieilles Vignes, a blend from sixty-year-old vines, is characterised by a nose similar to the Corcelette but more mineral with great intensity. The attack on the palate is precise, powerful and dynamic, with impressive density and great class. A few grams of residual sugar provide a slight additional richness that coats the dense and elegant tannins. Texture takes precedence over flavour at this youthful stage; the whole is tightly wound, with a finish marked by a vegetal backbone and a light bitterness that is fresh and long. A wine with a radiant future requiring patience of five to ten years before reaching its peak.

The Morgon Les Delys represents the absolute pinnacle of production, a pure concentrate of old gamay vines planted in 1926 in the Corcelette sector. A highly perfumed wine in which the ripe whole-cluster harvest dominates the tasting experience with magnificent velvety tannins, very thoroughbred, evoking elderberry, iron filings and dried flowers (rose, pot-pourri) with absolute indulgence. Freshness and purity are very much present. Extraordinary depth, a kaleidoscope of perfumes blending dark fruits, wild blackberry, a note of smoked bacon and fine wood. A multi-dimensional palate delivering very suave and full flowing fruit with beguiling rounded tannins. A complete fine wine where freshness and density dazzle — an absolute delight. A complex aromatic profile revealing blackcurrant and black raspberry, distilled notes of berries, saline, alkaline, maritime, stony and crystalline minerality, appetising evocations of roasted meat juices and soy. A salivating palate, richly textured yet dynamic and refreshing. Fleshy depth marrying deliciously with textural appeal, complemented by a contrast of fresh fruity acidity and vibrant mineral impacts. This unmissable favourite cuvée can age admirably for twenty years, comparable to the finest wines of the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy.

The Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Mélanie, named after Daniel's daughter, comes from 50 ares ideally situated on one of the most qualitative parts of Mont Brouilly. Pure indulgence, a refined and lightly extracted wine with perfumes of black cherry and morello cherry, intense freshness. A performance in which the minerality of the blue stones, the signature of Côte de Brouilly soils, sets the tone. A ripe, pure and precise whole, bearing the inimitable hallmark of the meticulous Daniel Bouland. A rare wine with limited availability in France, representing one of the finest bargains of the moment for lovers of elegant and distinguished Beaujolais.