Kewin Descombes, "Cuvée Kéké" 2021

Working within his home Beaujolais Cru, “Morgon” Kewin (Keké to his friends) Descombes has, over the course of nearly 10 vintages, carved out a name for himself. This feat is much more difficult than it may first seem given he is the son of wine royalty – his father George Descombes is a legend in the Beaujolais natural wine circles going all the way back to the original “Gang of Four” which was more like 6 and included Descombes. Add to this heritage the fact that his similarly star-bound step-brother Damien Coquelet has made waves in recent years in this selfsame wine scene and it quickly would seem one of two ways: either he was fated to make great wine or cornered out by the burden of all this history before him. The answer is certainly more the former than the latter, and part of what’s made it this way is his creation of his own winemaking endeavor, completely separate from both his father and Coquelet – renting parcels around Morgon & purchasing a few old-vine hectares from a farmer who once rented them out to his father, has allowed him to find his own viticultural voice, all at a young age too. His first vintage was in 2013 at the age of 21! In this way, his wines are well-poised and given minerality & lift – they also have a bit of their own flair, something slightly chewier in the texture than you’d otherwise encounter in wines this fresh and buoyant.

Beaujolais, France. 100% Gamay from 40-year-old vines, fermented in whole clusters for 10-12 days. The fruit is pressed and fermented with wild yeasts followed by aging in concrete. Medium-bodied, cassis, black cherry, gentle tannins.