The 2009 Morgon De Lys Vieilles Vignes – a bottling formerly labeled without reference to the lieu-dit De Lys (located between Corcelette and Villie-Morgon and planted in 1926) – offers explosively, exuberantly concentrated ripe blackberry and black raspberry with accents of smoky black tea and Latakia tobacco, maple syrup and brown spices, along with glycerin-rich amplitude, but is by no means either superficially sweet or shapeless. Suggestions of clean, marrowy meatiness, iodine, crushed stone, and a piquant crunching down on berry seeds all interact with the wine’s rich black fruit and spices in a positively vibratory finish. If you attend closely, you can sense the extra structure vis-a-vis its stable mates that underlies this superb cuvee and terrific value, which should be followed for a half dozen or more years. (Bouland’s 2006s are showing brilliantly now, by the way, with a sense of clarity to mineral nuance and meaty depth rare in Beaujolais.)It’s clear by now that Daniel Bouland is one of Beaujolais’s major as well as most consistent talents, and it is encouraging to be witnessing the expansion of his domaine (now ten hectares). Most of Bouland’s vines are old, and his young parcels have been planted with selections massales from old vineyards. All of the 2009 cuvees – based on fruit not harvested before late in the first week in September and displaying deep, healthy color – came in at just over 14% alcohol, but none showed ill-effects. A couple of lots of Morgon were so late to go through malo that they were still gaseous when I visited in April, but Bouland’s four cuvees destined for the U.S. had just been bottled, from which they also appeared not to have suffered.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

An aromatic red, with spring blossom overtones to the black cherry, pomegranate and anise flavors. There's a vibrancy to this, with light tannins framing it and a long, lush finish of spice box. Drink now through 2018. 100 cases imported.??–AN??Region: France / Beaujolais / Morgon Select to Add