DOMAINE GEORGES DESCOMBES, France

His wines are serious, but also give a lot of immediate pleasure. Like his great friend, Jean Foillard, and his mentor, the late Marcel Lapierre, he favours minimal intervention and lets the granite terroir of his 15.5ha of vineyards lead the way. Beautifully juicy but with good backbone, his wines can be enjoyed early and will also age for several years. The estate follows an environmentally conscious approach with discipline and rigour, aimed at low-intervention winemaking.

Viticulture

In 1988, Georges began converting the vineyards to organic practices, and these days he oversees 15.5 hectares spread across five AOCs.

Winemaking

All the cuvées are produced using whole bunches with only a tiny dose of sulphur at bottling and only a light filtration for the young vine cuvées. Leaving the wine in bottle for a year later than most, his wines are superb expressions of Beaujolais, that punch way above their price point.