One of Beaujolais’ more reclusive growers, Daniel Bouland makes some of the most old-school and expressive wines in the whole of the region. Hand harvested from old Gamay vines in the Morgon lieux-dits of Corcelette, Bellevue and Pré Jourdan, Bouland’s wines are defiantly deep, dark, country-style reds with plenty of grip and overflowing with personality.

These are wines that are built for the long haul, unlike so many of the wines produced in this region. Daniel himself recommends five years in bottle for the terroir to show the wine’s true sense of clarity and mineral nuance. From the best vintages, 15 years will not weary the Morgon cuvées. This is not to say they are not approachable as youngsters.

Bouland’s wines are some of Beaujolais’ most authentic and deep offerings from a true vigneron; a vigneron whose wines have justifiably acquired a cult following over the past decade.

Bouland portrays the ‘artisanal Beaujolais vigneron’ in perhaps its purest form. He works alone in his vineyards where most of the material is gnarled, old goblet vines. His young parcels have been planted with selections massale from his older vineyards. Nothing is sweetened and nothing is taken away from the raw, visceral goodness of the juice. All of Bouland’s wines undergo natural, 100% whole-bunch fermentation, in the classic, Beaujolais, semi-carbonic style, before aging mostly in large, neutral oak. All the wines are bottled without fining and with only a light filtration. The result of this simplicity is country wines of great character, quality and deliciousness. They offer remarkable value in the context of great Burgundy.