Jean Foillard’s 2022 Beaujolais-Villages has just landed, and it's just as great as ever.

Foillard, of course, is one of Beaujolais’ few true legends. With the likes of Marcel Lapierre, he's a founding member of the Gang of Four, the group that pretty much invented natural wine. But his wines aren’t noteworthy because they're natural – not really.

No, they're noteworthy because they are among France’s great wines of terroir. In fact, Foillard’s top Morgons (like the Cuvée 3.14 or Côte du Py) are among the handful of Beaujolais (see our guide to the 10 crus) collectibles, in the company of such superstar bottles as Metras’ Ultime, and Lapierre’s Cuvée Camille and Cuvée Marcel Lapierre.

But you don’t have to fight for expensive trophy bottles to see what sets Foillard apart, because he also makes a Beaujolais Village of unreal quality. All the same choices that set his top wines apply here: a focus on old vines (nothing younger than 20 years), organic farming, slow fermentations — everything to express beautiful Gamay fruit and the amazing terroir.

Ultimately, of course, it's all about the terroir. Some Beaujolais-Villages locales make wines that are light and easy-going, much like Beaujolais AOC. But others are up in the hills with mineral-rich soils, and make wines more like the Crus: pretty, with silky fruit and Gamay’s floral aromatics, but with more complexity, minerality, and depth.

Foillard's wine is in the latter category. As fun and delicious as it may be — with a bit of a chill, it'll cut through summer heat — this is a Beaujolais-Villages of depth. It comes from a few sites just outside the cru villages (in the communes of Lancié, Saint-Amour, Saint-Jean-d’Ardières, Perréon, and Régnié-Durette). Previously, grapes didn't always achieve ripeness in these areas, but today they make perfectly ripe fruit with classic Beaujolais freshness.


Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages, 2022 $29.99
The 2020 is classic Foillard: smooth and seductive, with florality, red fruit, and the granite crunch from those amazing, stony sites. It’s lighter than his benchmark Morgon, and the floral juiciness is accompanied by just enough tannin to let it stand up to light meals. So, while it isn’t a steak wine, it will be great on its own, or with snacks while you’re making dinner, or with a dinner of fish, fowl, or vegetables.