2019 Alex Foillard Cote de Brouilly Beaujolais

Winemaker Notes:  Almost thirty years ago, Kermit introduced U.S. wine drinkers to four disciples of Jules Chauvet, the Beaujolais vigneron who experimented in making “natural” wines with unparalleled success. One of these followers was Jean Foillard, a soft-spoken perfectionist who has arguably become the Beaujolais’s most talented vigneron working today. He crafts reds that range from silky to succulent from the cru of Morgon’s top sites. Their balance, finesse, and age-worthiness are unrivaled in the region.

Now, Jean’s son Alex is fashioning his own reds from Gamay, and the apple certainly does not fall far from the tree. Alex has already joined the ranks of the region’s most gifted—and well-trained—producers. Where Alex has strayed is in the appellations he has chosen as a starting point. Working in Brouilly and the Côte de Brouilly, which represent Beaujolais’s two southernmost crus, just south of Morgon, Alex plays with the sometimes mind-bending and rule-defying nature of the special terroirs here.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Vinous - "Light, vivid ruby. Vibrant red fruit, floral and spice qualities on the mineral-inflected nose take on suggestions of incense and licorice as the wine stretches out. Sappy, incisive and pure, offering palate-staining raspberry, bitter cherry, floral pastille and rhubarb flavors that show a compelling blend of depth and vivacity. Closes very long and subtly chewy, with reverberating florality and polished tannins that come in late. That Foillard magic is clearly a hereditary thing. Best after 2024"


James Suckling - "I like the juicy raspberry and mulberry notes, laced with red licorice, nutmeg and rooibos tea. Deliciously spicy with fantastic concentration, wrapped up in a medium body and supported by creamy tannins. Drink now."


Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2019 Côte de Brouilly wafts from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums, peonies and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, rich and lively, with powdery tannins and a perfumed, sapid finish, it has turned out well."