Duboeuf Morgon Jean-Ernest Descombes 2008
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Parker
Robert
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Winemaker Notes
The story behind a wine often mirrors very closely to that of an individual. For example, Jean Ernest Descombes, an immensely engaging and historical figure of our Beaujolais region, devoted thirty years of his life to creating one of the finest estates and wines in Morgon. High-spirited and known for never turning down a good time, he welcomed wine reviewers and wine-tasting professionals to come and savor some of his fantastic wines. Those who met the unusual man never forgot the intense passion he had for his craft.
An extraordinary grower, he deployed his talents in the vineyard as well as in wine making. Three-fourths of his vines are more than 50 years old, planted in the best locations, such as the favored climates of La Py, La Roche, La Pillée, Les Pillets and Bellvue. The amazing wines produced at this estate have garnered an impressive list of awards.
After Jean Ernest's departure to the "vineyard of paradise" in October 1993, his daughter, Nicole, took over with an enthusiasm that would have warmed her father's heart. In tribute, she likes to say that the personality of a wine always conjures up the person who made it. Her father's wine is anything but an exception to this axiom. Such blissful encounters with Morgon reflect flashes of eternity to those fortunate enough to taste it.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are all of 2,200 cases of the 2008 Morgon Jean Descombes, which represents a perennially popular benchmark for its appellation, not to mention value. This year, black raspberry and peach preserves rush from the glass and envelop the palate with silken textural allure and an almost liqueur-like presence. Yet for all of its suggestions of sweetness, this is also more than bright enough to refresh, and grips impressively with finishing complexity of animal nuances and floral inhalation. Expect this to be worth several years of cellaring – not that one would want to miss out on its youthful charms. This wine, incidentally, is in fact domaine bottled, but has been marketed for many years exclusively by DuBoeuf, with their name also appearing prominently on the label.
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For over 40 years Georges Duboeuf has been the Beaujolais region's most renowned négociant and is today regarded in the wine world as the "King of Beaujolais." Born in 1933 in Pouilly-Fuissé, the son of a winegrower, Georges began selling his family's wines from the back of his bicycle to now-legendary local chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Paul Blanc. In 1964, Georges realized his dream and founded his own company: Les Vins Georges Duboeuf.
Over the years, Georges has developed long-standing relationships with the region's top growers and winemakers. Georges is involved in every aspect of his enterprise and is known for his passion and his legendary palate. In 2003, the Duboeuf family opened a new, modern winery in Romanéche-Thorins. The following year, the Duboeuf and Deutsch families jointly purchased Chateau des Capitans in Juliénas. With annual sales of 30 million bottles, Georges Duboeuf is one of the world's best-known French brands.
Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
The bucolic region often identified as the southern part of Burgundy, Beaujolais actually doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the rest of the region in terms of climate, soil types and grape varieties. Beaujolais achieves its own identity with variations on style of one grape, Gamay.
Gamay was actually grown throughout all of Burgundy until 1395 when the Duke of Burgundy banished it south, making room for Pinot Noir to inhabit all of the “superior” hillsides of Burgundy proper. This was good news for Gamay as it produces a much better wine in the granitic soils of Beaujolais, compared with the limestone escarpments of the Côte d’Or.
Four styles of Beaujolais wines exist. The simplest, and one that has regrettably given the region a subpar reputation, is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the Beaujolais wine that is made using carbonic maceration (a quick fermentation that results in sweet aromas) and is released on the third Thursday of November in the same year as harvest. It's meant to drink young and is flirty, fruity and fun. The rest of Beaujolais is where the serious wines are found. Aside from the wines simply labelled, Beaujolais, there are the Beaujolais-Villages wines, which must come from the hilly northern part of the region, and offer reasonable values with some gems among them. The superior sections are the cru vineyards coming from ten distinct communes: St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly. Any cru Beajolais will have its commune name prominent on the label.