It may sound pretentious to describe a wine as “symphonic,” but that’s one word that came to mind when our team encountered the 2012 “Cuvée des Félix” from Bois de Boursan. It’s a big, powerful Châteauneuf-du-Pape, made in tiny quantities from a rigorous selection of grapes, but in addition to its thunderous boom of bass there’s also lots of twinkling treble, too.
There are violins to complement the cellos. Triangle and timpani. Oboe and bassoon. Not all ‘big’ wines accomplish this, especially in places like the southern Rhône Valley, where alcohol and extraction levels have crept steadily upward over the years. Maybe a better way to describe this edition of Cuvée des Felix, then, is to say it’s a gentle giant—big without being bullying. Further, it’s a wine that wears its rusticity proudly, and well: Though it is aged in used French oak barriques, this is not one of those reds with a sweet, modernist sheen to it. To use another descriptor that came up in our tasting, it’s “gutsy”—full of dusty earth, roasted meat, wild herbs, dried olive and other hallmarks of traditionally made Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It’s a welcome reminder of how soulful and substantial great Châteauneuf can be, and a still-affordable collectible for those who appreciate having time-tested classics aging in their cellars.
[*NOTE: Today's wine is only available as a pre-offer and will be arriving at our temperature-controlled warehouse the week of August 5th.]
Today’s 2012 also got us thinking about old vines. 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. 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 alcohol to retain acidity and remain balanced and energetic.
And while 2012 turned out to be a great vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape—great enough to merit Versino’s crafting a Cuvée des Felix—it wasn’t without difficulties. Here, too, the prevalence of older vines in the zone likely had a steadying influence. In the spring, a bout of coulure (a.k.a. “shatter,” when grape bunches fail to pollinate/develop) had an especially devastating impact on Grenache grapes, reducing total yields by some 60%. A hot summer was capped with some significant rains in August, but the early autumn was dry and further refreshed by the mistral winds, resulting in wines of great concentration but also great balance. Although the 2012 Cuvée des Felix has loads of concentration and very evident ripeness, it doesn’t have any of the excess heat or syrupy extract that dooms many Châteauneuf wines these days. There’s great purity to this wine, owing at least in part to Versino’s commitment to organic farming (they’ve been certified for many years now).
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%) and Mourvèdre (25%), with Syrah (5%) and an assortment of other varieties comprising the balance. It is aged 18 months in used French oak barriques and is typically a touch more tannic and tightly wound compared to Bois de Boursan’s estate Châteauneuf bottling (which we offered back in January).
Nevertheless, like most Châteauneuf-du-Pape, today’s 2012 is delicious to drink now, thanks to Grenache’s generous fruit. It is downright explosive right out of the gate, with a dark, 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 and leather with faint accents of dried olive and meat stock. It is full-bodied on the palate, its 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 Burgundy 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!
