Domaine Jean Foillard

discover the collection of Domaine Jean Foillard

One of the most sought-after winemakers in Beaujolais


“[Domaine Jean Foillard’s] wines have a reputation for combining lushness and fresh fruit aromas with depth, complexity and structure, which gives them not only great appeal when young but also considerable aging potential. The wines avoid the bubblegum aromas that can be associated with the Gamay grape and Beaujolais winemaking.”

Wine-searcher

 

Jean Foillard is dubbed an emblematic figure of the natural wine movement.  He has strived to exalt the terroirs of Morgon and the Côte-du-Py, by producing silky smooth and sophisticated wines, and become one of the most sought-after winemaker in the region.  

Domaine Jean Foillard is undoubtedly one of the most famous producers in Beaujolais, with around 16 hectares of vines over the Morgon and Fleurie appellations.  In 1981, Jean Foillard, helped by his father, took over the family estate.  He was inspired by Marcel Lapierre to manage his vine in a style that would be as close to organic as possible.

 

 

In the 1980s when all-around was a modern vernacular of bubble-gum Beaujolais and Nouveau, Jean Foillard started the domaine in a “conventional” manner but then, inspired by Marcel Lapierre, gradually moved to organic methods.  In the cuverie, he chose a back-to-basics approach inspired by Jules Chauvet.  Together with his wife, Agnès, the team forms part of the pioneering “Gang of Four”, a name given to this group of producers by their US importer – Kermit Lynch, alongside Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton.  These passionate producers have completely transformed and reinvigorated Beaujolais as a fine wine region.

 Domaine Jean Foillard wines, from Beaujolais, Morgon, Côte-du-Py, Fleurie, have a reputation for combining lushness and fresh fruit aromas with depth, complexity and structure, which gives them not only great appeal when young but also considerable aging potential.

 

“By drinking these wines blind, it is difficult to recognize Beaujolais as the Foillard wines are complex and dense (something quite rare in the region) while possessing the freshness and fruitiness of Beaujolais.
One thing is certain, it is that these wines seduce amateurs, but also the great tables from here and elsewhere. His reputation is well established…”

Vin-satori

 

Explore the wines from Domaine Jean Foillard