Georges Descombes Chiroubles Vieilles Vignes (wax cap) 2020

100% Gamay. About  mere 0.5 of Georges Descombes' 15 hectares of vines are in the Chiroubles cru. There is only one Chiroubles bottling. The vines are 50 years and older, planted on hilly sites of decomposed granite soils. The farming is organic, though not certified, and the harvest is manual.

The vinification is traditional: whole-bunch, semi-carbonic maceration in large vats (cement, fiberglass, stainless steel) with native yeasts and no sulfur. The wine is aged in used Burgundy barriques for a year or more, making Descombes' release generally quite a bit later than those of his fellow vignerons. It is bottled with a very small amount of sulfur and without fining or filtration.

Note that the label does NOT indicate "vieilles vignes" --it is distinguished from the regular Brouilly label by its stark white background, a more conservative black script and a red wax cap.