| | For lovers of true, old-style Rhone wines, Domaine Bois de Boursan in Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a rare gift. And their 2015 Tradition is a real beauty that captures the soul of the appellation in all its purity.
Like his father Jean before him (who founded the domaine in 1955), Jean-Paul Versino works with utmost respect for the environment, using only organic treatments in the vineyards. The extremely old vines are between 55 and 95 years of age. Harvest is done by hand.
Anyone who doubts that the cellar is a vital component of terroir need only to pay a visit to Versino’s wondrous cave. Opening the door and descending the stairs, one is met with an overwhelming sense of the moisi de la cave—the mold of the cellar, which ensures the visitor that this is indeed a living environment, rich with the residue of all the organic processes that take place within. Jean-Paul’s wines develop in the bulging bellies of large foudres that have raised half a century’s worth of vintages before them. He de-stems as little as he feels the vintage requires, and often not at all; he never yeasts, never fines, and never filters. Versino knows that the fruit his gnarled old vines miserly eke forth tells a beautiful story, and he does nothing to disrupt the narrative.
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| | ✧ Very Happy to Offer ✧
2015 Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge “Tradition” $480 case
Dazzlingly gorgeous aromatics. It is multidimensional, offering a full spectrum of fruits, from bright red to dark black, a warm, palpable stoniness, an intoxicating interplay of spice and truffle, and a whiff of animale that is both charming and seductive. Despite the wine’s density, there is plenty of room to breathe, and a sense of palate-cleansing freshness due to truly superb acidity for the appellation. This wine has a generosity of spirit that is irresistible, and it manages to be both friendly and profound in the way only truly great, traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be. Roughly speaking, “Tradition” comprises 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, and 5% of the remaining ten allowable varieties. Jean-Paul de-stemmed only 15% of the crop, and aged the wine for two years in large, old foudres before bottling. |
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