Daniel Marugg the quiet force

By Laurent Probst - December 12, 2014

The winery Bovel is the first of six wineries visited during our stay in the Graubünden. Managed by Daniel Marugg, the estate is located in the small town of Fläsch, in an area called "Bovel".

The man exudes a calm and reassuring serenity. Deeply convinced by the regions high potential for great wines, he summarizes "If you have the will and the talent, anyone can produce great wines in the Graubünden".

Asked if the climate change has an impact on the style of wine, his answer is negative. “However, we must always be careful to the effects of the Foehn, this warm wind can accelerate the maturation and destroy the fruitiness of the Pinot Noir wines especially, and cause an increase in the ripeness resulting in more alcohol and sometimes residual sugar in the wines”.

On his estate he cultivates five hectares of vineyards, mainly from his property but he also purchases grapes (mostly from the Fläsch territory).

Pinot Noir is the king of the winery with 70% of the production, however the winemaker also produces Merlot, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling-Sylvaner. Each of these varieties covers 0.2 to 0.4 hectares.

Daniel Marugg produces two Pinot Noirs both aged in barrels. The entry level wine is simply called Pinot Noir and grown in previously used barrels. The Pinot Noir Cuvée Sélection is the high-end wine. To produce it, the winemaker carefully picks grapes from his best terroirs, and uses only old vines.

The elegance of all wines tasted was striking, even the Sauvignon Blanc, a difficult grape, often varietal and slightly sweet; instead we enjoyed a particularly elegant wine. The 2013 Chardonnay was pure and fresh and the oak was well integrated. The 2013 Pinot Noirs had a deep colour and was both fresh and structured, with ripe fruit. Daniel Marugg is in favour of long fermentation and an exhaustive colour extraction. The Cuvée Selection had more structure but remained fresh.

We have discovered in Fläsch an inspiring perfectionist, but also a man engaging and challenging. One of our favourite wineries!