Domaine Jean Descombes Morgon Cote du Py 2020 - Burgundy, France

90/100 Wine Enthusiast (2019 vintage)
92/100 James Suckling (2017 Vintage)
91/100 James Suckling (2016 Vintage)

James Suckling "One of the best ever. Drink now. Pretty aromas of strawberries, flowers and hints of dust follow through to a full body that is compact and tight with very vibrant acidity. Flavorful finish."

Decanter "Very good now and with the legs to improve.Textured and bullish, with layers of black fruits, raspberries and blueberries bound in grippy tannins."

Wine & Spirits "Best Buy!"

Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast "Named after a family that has been in Morgon since the French Revolution, this wine shows powerful tannins and rich black fruits. It offers spice, layers of fruit and acidity, with a dry core that shows aging potential. Drink from 2021."

Wine Advocate ~ “One of Dubeouf's best this year.... bursts from the glass with a lavish bouquet of cassis, plums and cherries. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and juicy, with supple but chewy tannins, a generous core of fruit and a comparatively elegant profile.” (2017 Vintage)

Wine & Spirits "Descombes was the first grower Georges Duboeuf worked with when he started his firm in 1968. This domaine is now run by Descombes’s daughter, Nicole Descombes Savoye, who produces this wine for Duboeuf from close to 30 acres with a southeast-facing exposition, the vines ranging in age from 50 to 100 years old. Made with destemmed grapes in a partial carbonic maceration, the wine is all raspberry, meadow flowers and iron-edged tannins. And it’s the tannins that last, detailed in their mineral expression, suiting the wine to long aging."

Nicole Descombes Savoye is known as “the Queen of Beaujolais”. Her family has been in the famous Morgon winemaking region since the French Revolution. Nicole’s father - the great and late Jean Ernst - which this wine is named after - is considered one of the great winemakers of the Morgon.

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf is one of the largest wine producers in France founded by the late Georges Duboeuf who was affectionately known as 'le roi du Beaujolais' (the King of Beaujolais) or sometimes pape du Beaujolais (Pope of Beaujolais). Les Vins Georges Duboeuf produces a staggering 3 million cases of wine annually. The company is most well-known for its popularization and production of Beaujolais wines. In 2018 Georges’ passed control of his company to his son Franck Duboeuf, who is considered to be one of the key specialists in Beaujolais, its terroir and its wine, and has shifted production to focus more on Beaujolais Nouveau.

The second largest of the 10 Crus of Beaujolais in Greater Burgundy, Morgon is comprised of six climate all with slightly different styles. Their unifying feature is the decomposed schist soil called roches pourries or “rotted rocks” and locals believe this contributes to the ripe cherry aromas found in all the wines. These are wines meant to age 5–10 years (at least). The young, fleshy palate of peach, apricot, cherry, and plum will develop into a more earthy wine reminiscent of Burgundian Pinot Noir. Of the 10 crus of Beaujolais, this is the closest to Moulin-a-Vent in terms of weight and structure, and it can age nearly as well. It has a firm minerality, thanks chiefly to its granitic soils, and a fruit profile that shades towards orange.

Beaujolais is an important wine region of eastern France in the southern part of "Greater Burgundy". It is famous for its vibrant, fruity red wines made from Gamay. The widespread plantings of Gamay here make Beaujolais one of the few regions of the world to be so focused on a single grape variety. Cru Beaujolais is the highest and most-esteemed classification in the region. There are 10 crus within the Beaujolais classification, each referring to a winemaking region, rather than an individual vineyard, as in nearby Burgundy. Crus range in style, from lighter-bodied and younger-drinking to fuller, age-worthy wines. The 10 Beaujolais crus are: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, and Saint-Amour.