Jean Foillard - Gamay - Beaujolais Villages, FR - 2022

Satellite's Hot Take

This is a wine we can't stop drinking! It's clear what an influence this winery has had on modern natural wines. It's got the flavor of everything we want to drink! Carefree yet substantial, weightless and yet fully present. This is the definition of the good stuff.

Notes from the Winery/Importer

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION • Vineyards are farmed organically • Highly selective hand harvesting • Unfiltered and with no added SO2 during vinification • Traditional, whole cluster fermentation lasts from 15 days in concrete tank • Aged 7 months in concrete tank • Parcels located in Villié-Morgon, Lancié, Saint-Amour, and St-Etienne-La-Varenne BLEND Gamay VINE AGE 20 to 55 years old SOIL Granite VINEYARD AREA 7 ha

Notes on the Producer

Jean and Agnès Foillard took over his father’s domaine in 1980, and soon thereafter began to make Kermit Lynch customers very happy. Most of their vineyards are planted on the Côte du Py, the famed slope outside the town of Villié-Morgon and the pride of Morgon. These granite and schist soils sit on an alluvial fan at the highest point above the town and impart great complexity. However, great real estate is not the only key to Foillard’s success. Early on, Jean began to follow the teachings of Jules Chauvet, a traditionalist who defied everything that the more commercial brands were touting in the region. Jean and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton, soon joined in on the movement. This Gang of Four, as Kermit christened them, called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification: starting with old vines, never using synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvesting late, rigorously sorting to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refusing both chaptalization and filtration. The end result allows Morgon to express itself naturally, as it should be without the bubblegum and banana aromas of so many other Beaujolais available today. Its rustic structure, spicy notes, and mineral-laden backbone are what real Morgon is all about. This estate comprises nearly fourteen hectares. Foillard’s Morgons are deep, structured, and complex, with a velvety lushness that makes them irresistible when young despite their aging potential. Jean raises his wines in older barrels sourced from top estates in Burgundy, a logical decision for someone crafting Gamay in a Burgundian style. It is the passion and dedication of vignerons like this that have brought pride back to the crus of the Beaujolais.

GENERAL INFORMATION
COUNTRY
France
REGION
Beaujolais
APPELLATION(S)
Fleurie, Morgon
PRODUCER
Jean Foillard
FOUNDED
1981
FARMING
Organic (certified)
ANNUAL PRODUCTION
2,500 cases