A Fresh Vintage of Foillard's Delightful Beaujolais-Villages
Jean Foillard is one of the wine world's few true legends. Alongside the likes of Marcel Lapierre, he's a founding member of Kermit Lynch's Gang of Four, the group that essentially invented natural wine.
But if you’re not interested in Foillard’s résumé details, or his place in the annals of wine history, you really only need to know one thing: Foillard’s Beaujolais-Villages is consistently one of the most transparently delicious wines we offer. Year after year, it offers a bottleful of juicy red fruit, subtle earthiness, and tantalizing acidity.
Foillard is best known for age-worthy, concentrated Morgon and Fleurie, from those Crus’ most esteemed vineyards (notably Morgon’s Corcelette & Côte du Py and Fleurie’s Champagne). But they can take some time to come into their own, and they’re not exactly easy to find.
Beaujolais-Villages doesn’t take itself too seriously — instead of a 3-4 week fermentation, like the Crus see, it lasts about 15 days. Instead of being raised in oak, it’s raised in cement tank. And it tastes great as soon as you open it, although if you give it time (maybe a couple of hours of air), it really opens up: the flavors unfurl, showing both red and dark fruits, floral hints on the nose, and lovely mineral and spice tone on the finish.
We feel incredibly fortunate to get a decent quantity of this master's more accessible wine and to be able to share it with you today. 2021 Beaujolais are particularly delicious: light and bright, with reasonable alcohol levels. We don't think these will stick around too long.
Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages, 2021 $31.99
Silky and sinewy, elegant and complex, with pretty berries and floral notes on the nose, and surprising depths and length that also shows mineral and a touch of spice.
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