2008 Jean Foillard Fleurie

Jean Foillard and his wife Agnes became the proprietors of Jean’s family vineyard in 1980. The 35-acre domaine has parcels outside of Villié-Morgan in the prestigious Beaujolais appellations of Morgon and Fleurie. Jean was influenced early in his career by the traditionalist vigneron techniques championed by Jules Chauvet, the late, highly influential Beaujolais negociant who believed in natural winemaking. As Chauvet advocated, Foillard carefully tends his old vines, banning all herbicides and pesticides, harvesting late and taking a very minimalist approach in the cellar. The domaine wins compliments from reviewers. Wine Advocate has noted that the domaine’s wines “are wonderful, life-affirming expressions of Beaujolais…If you are still under the misguided belief that Beaujolais cannot make world class wine, then you have not tasted the wines from Jean Foillard.”

Fleurie is a village located near the center of Beaujolais, and the Beaujolais Cru appellation named for it encompasses nearly 2,000 acres of vineyards. Many admirers of Beaujolais consider the Fleurie appellation to be one of the best, if not the best, of the Cru appellations and its wines are generally lush and aromatic. Some 500,000 cases are produced annually. Like nearly everywhere else in Beaujolais, the only grape grown is Gamay. Fleurie the village is charming and quaint and attracts many tourists.

The Gamay grape produces a light, versatile and food-friendly wine. It is best known for making Beaujolais Nouveau, but it is also grown in Loire and Tours. Thankfully the 14th C. Duke of Burgundy’s degree to ban the grape did not spread through all of France.