Jean Foillard

Jean Foillard, P'tit Jean to his friends, joined his family’s estate of 8 hectares in 1981. Son and grandson of vignerons, one could say it was simply in the order of things that he’d return to the fold. Today, the renown of his wines has made him a revered giant of Beaujolais. At the celebrated Côte de Py vineyard site, Jean creates natural wines while following the precepts of Jules Chauvet. Jean is part of the clan importer Kermit Lynch dubbed the Gang of Four, with Lapierre, Thévenet and Breton, a quartet which would more than restore the reputation of Beaujolais. Together, they embarked on a return to their roots: starting with healthy old vines, they would abandon the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, would harvest at optimal grape maturity, vinified whole cluster with low temperature fermentations, homeopathic use of sulphur, if any is used at all. All of this, in the Beaujolais, in the 1980s, was a révolution... Jean’s Morgons can easily be drunk young, but they have an unbelievable aptitude for ageing as well.