Alex Foillard ‘Beaujolais-Villages’

Alex Foillard ‘Beaujolais-Villages’ – a high-flying exemplar of GlouGlou. Nestle this tart and tangy troublemaker in a bucket of ice and watch it unfurl and express itself. The grapes are sourced from an east-facing plot in Saint Ennemond and undergo a carbonic maceration. As per usual, it is a whole-cluster fermentation for 10 days in a concrete tank, with a sporadic pumpover. Subsequently, the wine slumbers for four to five months in concrete. Tart displays of crunchy red fruit frolic over the palette as subtle herbaceous tones mellow the energy. A raucous line of acidity harasses the jowls and a delicate salinity lingers on the finish. All in all, a fresh and elegant showcase of Beaujolais-Villages.

Alex earns his namesake from pioneer and anarchist himself, Jean Foillard. Having developed an early interest in the family business, he studied agriculture in Montpellier and graduated from Beaune with viticultural and oenological degrees. Consequently, he sought a broadening of horizons and interned with Australian and Japanese winemakers. Returning home in 2015, Alex homogenised his father’s methodology, his academia and own intuition to create a philosophically similar yet nevertheless distinct approach. Soon thereafter he purchased his own vineyards and with a hectare each in Brouilly and Cote-de-Brouilly, he immediately began working them organically. Certain Foillard trademarks have been noticeably inherited: whole-cluster fermentation, native yeast usage, no fining or filtering and merely a minute dose of sulphur upon bottling. Carrying the weight of expectation gracefully, Alex has quickly become revered world-over in his own right.

Alex Foillard ‘Beaujolais-Villages’ – the perfect mediator between oneself and a setting, summer sun.