Having taken over the domaine from his father in the late 1980s, Georges Descombes is rightly considered as one of the pillars of the Beaujolais region. His wines are serious, but also give a lot of immediate pleasure. Like his great friend Jean Foillard and mentor, the late Marcel Lapierre, he prefers minimal intervention and traditional techniques, allowing the granite terroir of his 15.5 hectares of vineyards do the talking. The domaine is certified organic by Ecocert. All his wines are produced with no or very little sulphur and as naturally as possible. Yields are very low here; 30-40 hectolitres per hectare is the norm. A high percentage of old vines is part of the reason. The fruit is handpicked and immediately brought into a large refrigerator to cool down. Georges chooses to let the must undergo an extended whole cluster, cold carbonic maceration in cement vats for as much as 30 days. Only natural yeasts are used. He extracts his press wine gently and traditionally via an old vertical press. The wines are then matured in used neutral barrels for 10-12 months prior to bottling without filtration. Further ageing in bottle helps these natural wines to stabilise and develop. Beautifully pure, elegant and juicy, but with good backbone, his wines can be enjoyed early, but will also age for many years.