Domaine Jean Foillard Cote du Py 2022
Type: Red
Country: France
Region: Burgundy, Beaujolais
Grape Variety: 100% Gamay
Viticulture: Certified Organic
Climate: Semi-continental climate, influenced by the presence of the Massif Central to the west and the Alps to the east
Terroir: The vineyard for Foillard Morgon Côte du Py is planted on granite and shale soils on the famous Morgon “Côte du Py” hillside. Farmed organically, without any use of herbicides or pesticides
Winemaking: The grapes are refrigerated before winemaking begins. Carbonic maceration with the whole bunches and the final wine is aged for 6 to 9 months in used oak barrels. No oenological products are added nor is the wine chaptalised, i.e. sugars are not added to the fermentation process. Foillard Morgon always uses as little sulphite as possible, and bottling is carried out without clarifying or filtering
Color: Intense ruby
Nose: Good intensity on the nose, with aromas of ripe red fruit, rose petals, soft spicy notes and a subtle floral and mineral finish
Palate: Fresh and tasty on the palate with notes of ripe red fruit. Medium-bodied with sweet tannins
About the Winery:
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 ageing 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.
