Description
Bois de Boursan, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvée des Félix”
There are many red wines in the world that can match the concentration and intensity of Bois de Boursan’s “Cuvée Felix,” but very few that can match its soul. When you taste this benchmark Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is only produced in select vintages, you aren’t merely impressed, you’re moved. You don’t taste technique, or oak—you taste saturated old-vine fruit and dusty earth. And when you consider what many producers charge for their most limited, top-tier cuvées, what Bois de Boursan asks for “Cuvée des Félix” seems downright quaint.
Dig a little deeper into the wine’s “specs” and it looks like a steal: fruit is sourced from the La Nerthe, La Crau, and Pied de Baud lieux-dits, arguably the three most famous subzones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where Bois de Boursan’s vines exceed 90 years of age in some places. It’s a Grenache-driven blend (65%) fermented using mostly whole grape clusters, creating a beautifully concentrated style blessed with the perfect amount of Old World rusticity. It is, in a word, a benchmark—and a wine we seem to get less and less of each year. What can I say: People know an incredible deal when they see one. Take up to six bottles of this modern classic and count yourself among a very lucky few!
Bois de Boursan proprietor Jean-Paul Versino, whose father, Jean, founded the family domaine in the 1950s, organically farms 10 hectares of vines ranging in age from 50-100 years. And what people blessed with such heirloom vines will tell you is this: old vines are better equipped to regulate themselves. Their roots run deeper, meaning that in rainy years they don’t swell up with surface water and in dry years they’re able to find water reserves deeper down in the earth. Old vines produce less fruit, and what they do produce is more concentrated—and that’s not just “sugar ripeness” but a more complete physiological ripeness that enables wines with elevated alcohols to retain acidity and remain balanced and energetic. There’s great purity to this 2017, owing at least in part to Versino’s commitment to organic farming (they’ve been certified for many years now).
And, as has always been the case, Versino makes very little Cuvée des Felix—usually about 400 cases in total, a fraction of which make it to the US. Bois de Boursan grows all the 13 authorized Châteauneuf varieties in their multitude of vineyard parcels (27 plots across 10 hectares, all in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape proper), but this wine is driven by Grenache (65%), Syrah (15%), and Mourvèdre (15%), with an assortment of other varieties comprising the balance. It is fermented in a combination of concrete and steel tanks and aged 18 months in used French oak barriques, resulting in a style that is typically a touch more tannic and tightly wound compared to Bois de Boursan’s flagship Châteauneuf bottling, “Tradition.”
Nevertheless, like most Châteauneuf-du-Pape, today’s 2017 is delicious to drink now, thanks to Grenache’s generous fruit. It is downright explosive right out of the gate, with an inky, ruby-black hue in the glass and lots of black fruits on the nose and palate: crushed blackberry, cherry, and boysenberry are layered with black licorice, cacao nibs, wild herbs, lavender, warm spices, leather, and braised meat. It is full-bodied on the palate, its chocolate-y richness checked by a lively jolt of freshness. Think big, but agile: It’s built to age 10-15 years and will show best following a 45-minute decant and a service temperature closer to 60 degrees. Use some big Bordeaux stems and pair it with pulled pork cooked “low and slow” in the oven. This pairing is a ‘master class’ in concentrated flavors and a great way to enjoy one of wine’s most enduring classics. Enjoy!
