Régnié Vieilles Vignes

100% Gamay. About 2 of Georges Descombes' 15 hectares of vines are in the Régnié cru; he also purchases a bit of Régnié fruit. There are two Régnié bottlings: one from the younger vines (ranging from 5 up to almost 50 years old) and this one from the oldest vines (from 50 to 100 years old). All are 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 vieilles vignes 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 the old-vines factor--it is distinguished from the regular Régnié by its stark white background, conservative black script and red wax cap.