Jean Foillard
The Inside Word
Back when Beaujolais was flooding the world with fast, forgettable Nouveau, Jean Foillard (alongside a few equally stubborn mates) took the long road. No chemicals and strictly no shortcuts; no interest in turning Gamay into something it’s not.
Guided by Beaujolais royalty, Jules Chauvet, he pushed in the other direction While most vineyards were scrubbed clean with herbicides, his were left to live. Where others corrected and controlled, he let the wine carry its own edges.
He started in 1982—family Domaine first, then out on his own, slowly gathering ground. Renting, buying, waiting for the right parcels to come loose. Eventually landing a prize piece on Morgon Côte du Py—the most lauded slope in the region. Today, it’s around 11 hectares all up, including a newer parcel in Courcellette, where granite replaces schist and the wine shifts accordingly.
Cult Status
Fast forward, and the region has caught up. Organic farming is no longer on the fringe. Minimal intervention is no longer radical. The “new guard” of Beaujolais looks a lot like what Foillard was doing decades ago.
Jean Foillard’s role is to not get in the way. He cools the fruit before fermentation, kicking off carbonic maceration. He ages his wines in old barrels—often ex-Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, no less.
This is Beaujolais at full tilt—light on its feet, but far from simple. Hauntingly beautiful, expressive, transportive. The kind of wine that holds a place the way great Burgundy does. Pure. Focused. Cult stuff. We say do it. Always.
