Georges Descombes Does it Again!
3/11/2008 -
I recently tasted with the great Beaujolais producer Georges Descombes, at the natural wine show (La Dive Bouteille) in Deauville, and then again a few days later at his home in Vilié-Morgon where we had a more extensive tasting. In his family kitchen, while eating fabulous homemade charcuterie and helping his daughter with her English homework, we tasted the full range of his 2006 and 2007 vintages. It was a wonderful tasting of superbly pretty, complex and elegant wines, with people who are friendly, straightforward and justifiably proud of their work. Yes, he did make unreal 2005's as many of our customers know. The Brouilly VV and the Morgon VV are in many of your cellars already but this 2006 Chiroubles Vieilles Vignes is truly something special. It won't be here for a bit but I was bowled over by it. It is from one of the less sexy appellations in Beaujolais, Chiroubles, but ignore where it is from as this is easily the most nuanced and complex Descombes wine that I have ever had the privilege of tasting. It is significantly softer than his Regnié, Brouilly and Morgon but no less detailed. Maybe even more detailed. There is also a lot less of this than all the others. Maybe he makes 160 cases and most gets gobbled up locally or on the Paris wine bar scene.
The nose is very nuanced with fruitcake, mint, chocolate, red and purple fruits, extremely floral and is deeply pitched. Could smell this for hours. In the mouth it reminded me of a Donnhoff in that this wine dissolved and just took over your mouth with such a pure expression of Chiroubles fruit that it could not be believed. I was bowled over by this wine. Tasted twice at the Dive Bouteille and at the Descombes estate it got better each time. I think this is my favorite Descombes bottling that I have ever had. I put it a notch above the Morgon, fine as that is, this had that extra wow!
Descombes keeps his yields very low, partially by competition with dense vegetation between the vines, a rarity in the Beaujolais. He generally does a pre-fermentation cold soak under CO2, of varying length, depending on the terroir and age of the vines, followed by a slow, low-temperature fermentation. There is no sulfur added in the beginning, which allows the wild yeasts to work properly, but he does add a small amount at the assemblage of the cuvèe prior to bottling. This is natural wine-making at its best, giving elegant wines that drink beautifully young and cellar well for 5 to 8 years.
