Georges Descombes is considered one of the undisputed masters of Cru Beaujolais, and his 2020 Morgon is a beautiful testament to why. Where most 2020 Beaujolais we’ve tasted is brawny and inky, Descombes’ captures the aspects we most prize in the category: complexity, purity, and ethereal lift. It’s just the latest in Georges' long career of consistently stunning wines. Indeed, Descombes is one of the very reasons Cru Beaujolais features on every Michelin-starred wine list and in most serious collectors’ cellars. He’s also one of the pioneers and great practitioners of natural winemaking, crafting stunning bottles from organic fruit and an absolute minimum of cellar intervention. Only his fellow Beaujolais legends come close to capturing the kaleidoscopic brilliance latent in the region’s granite slopes. And for all the ageability and soul stirring profundity contained within, at less than $40, a bottle of Descombes Morgon is packed to bursting with value. Whether you’re into natural wine or just plain old great wine, you don’t want to miss this!
To Beaujolais diehards, Descombes is known as the unofficial fifth member of the region’s famed “Gang of Four.” These four producers–Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, Jules Thevenet, and Jean Foillard–pushed back in the 80s against the then-rampant synthetic vineyard and cellar treatments. They rid their vineyards of fertilizers and herbicides, transitioned to spontaneous fermentations, and focused on careful elevage rather than quick vintage-to-vintage turnaround. They were, in many senses, the first natural winemakers, and they laid the groundwork for hundreds of producers now making wine in a similar fashion. Only a few years after the Gang of Four’s wines were first produced, Georges Descombes became the fifth adopter of their revolutionary techniques and immediately became their close collaborator. The five producers fought for years for their special terroir and traditions. Slowly, their wines gained global recognition as sharp contrasts with the Nouveau the region was famous for, and by the turn of the millennium, Cru Beaujolais was a hot ticket item amongst sommeliers and store owners.
Like his Gang of Four compatriots, Descombes calls the cru of Morgon home. If Gamay had a Vosne-Romanée, Morgon would be it. Where crus like Regnié are more brightly fruited, Brouilly more powerful, none are as balanced and polished as Morgon. Here, granite and schist soils commingle in a wide valley, where sunlight can fully penetrate grape canopies throughout the growing season. Cooling winds blow in off the Mediterranean to the south, retaining freshness. The best growers get ripe but balanced fruit with more mineral depth than Gamay is typically thought capable of. About half of Descombes’ vines are in Morgon, and for this bottling, he uses fruit from his “young” vines under 50 years old.
Descombes makes his wines the same way as all the best producers in Beaujolais. That is, he makes them simply. Whole clusters are placed into a fermenter, the fermenter is sealed up, and Georges waits. Inside the vat, the fruit goes through a semi-carbonic maceration, developing high-toned floral notes, generous texture, and stemmy spice. The fruit is pressed then aged in neutral barrels for over a year. The results are stunning. Definitely break out the Burgundy bowls for this one so you can fully appreciate the kaleidoscope of aromas. Brilliant red cherry, rose petal, crushed raspberry, orange rind, cedar, tobacco, black pepper, and a hint of smoke lead the nose. The palate is soft and generous, not a hard edge in sight, struck through with such refreshing acidity you’ll have to restrain yourself from chugging the glass. It’s a perfect balance of complexity and sheer unadulterated deliciousness, and a bottle of great Beaujolais like this tends to disappear far more quickly than you expect. So be sure to stock up!
