Jean Foillard ‘Morgon Classique’

Jean Foillard ‘Morgon Classique’ – an archetype for “le monde du vin naturel”. Enveloped in unadulterated deliciousness, this is a transparent expression interwoven with understated theatricality. Initially, an excitable nose leaps forth to greet you with lively red berries, warming spices and a touch of smoke. On the palette is a rousing dinner-party of amarena cherry, wild basil and mint and a splash of lavender. This is an intimate encapsulation of the Morgon appellation that puts the heart back into one’s laugh and soothes tension. Foillard incites a sense of purity by way of avoiding every possible shortcut and through this divine honesty, he bottles both wine and soul simultaneously.

Post-WW2 sensibilities, i.e commercialism and mass production, ill-affected many regions, including Beaujolais. Any and all (chemical) means were attaining high-volume yields and by the 1970s, Beaujolais appellations were producing mere bubblegum juice. However, a handful of natural wine anarchists stood defiantly against the rising tides of commercialism. This group is known as the Gang of Four. Jean Foillard cemented his philosophies under the watchful tutelage of Jules Chauvet. Consequently, he and his wife Agnés started their domain in the early 1980s and returned to honest wine-making, undeterred by their peers. The vines are grown organically and to this day, there are no pumps to move the wine at any stage. Additionally, the grapes are hand-harvested and fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts.

Jean Foillard ‘Morgon Classique’ – ideology with a cork on top. It waltzes from bottle to glass with a finesse that is deep-rooted in clarity.