Jean Descombes Morgon Georges Duboeuf, 1996

I had the 1995 Jean Descombes Morgon in January and wrote about it here (January 24) as comparable to a fine red Burgundy. Last night, I drank the 1996 Descombes and found it even more enjoyable.

The color indicated to me that it is considerably more mature than the 1995. It's a light garnet with a lot of amber tones. A crust of sediment on the side of the bottle indicates that it has shed a lot of its tannins. Very Pinot-like in its bouquet. Ripe cherries, flowers--sweet and lovely. There is a fine-boned strength and beauty in this wine. Very delicate but also powerful. Dances lightly on the tongue and leaves a sweetness in the aftertaste that refuses to go away. Whooooeeee. Unlike the 1995, which may have some miles to go, this wine is crying to be drunk.

The 2005 Descombes is still lingering on the shelves ($13.99 at D&W FreshMarkets). I haven't tried it since January of 2007 but I would expect it to still be showing its fruit-driven charms (black raspberries and cherries). The 2005 is hard to resist at this stage, but I'm still saving a few bottles to drink at age 10 to 12. And the 2006 is due on the shelves shortly.