Tasted in Le Clachet with Jean & Agnès Foillard – Alex was in the vines – 22 February 2022.
Domaine Jean Foillard
Le Clachet
69910 Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 4 74 04 24 97
www.leclachet-foillard.com
More reports with Domaine Jean Foillard
Jean & Agnès on 2021:
“In 40 years of experience this was the worst that I’ve seen from the climate – frost, rain, mildew – some parcels in Beaujolais delivered 4 hl/ha. Morgon wasn’t too bad, actually all the crus in the mid-slopes were fine but the plains and the top of the hills were something else…”
Jean & Agnès on 2021:
“2020 – like 18 and 19 was a very good vintage and with – an okay volume too. Maybe a little too much sun – as we have high degrees. We are hardly yet commercialising the vintage.”
The wines…
Given time to settle down and better express themselves – certainly for the aromatics – this could be a very great selection of wines!
2020 Alex Foillard, Cote de Brouilly
More sand, less granite here – about 30 and 50-year-old vines. Bottled in August, this and the next
A dark and deep nose, depth to this aroma too. Wide, open, a really nice energy – not a bit heavy – lovely open, mouth-watering flavour – depth and dark finishing – super depth here too. Yum!
2020 Alex Foillard, Brouilly
On a hill so more structured than his Côte de Brouilly. 2/3rds in-barrel elevage for this wine – the reverse of the last.
A smaller nose, but with a nice higher-toned perfume. Again this is fine and open – concentrated without weight – fluid – the energy is super. The finish explodes across the palate – that’s super there – excellent wine.
2020 Jean Foillard, Morgon Cuvée Corcelette
Granite here and very sandy – this brings the fruit and the flowers.
Large scaled – there’s impact here – but not yet interest. Really impressive concentration but balance again – it’s a little step up for each of these wines. Waves of finishing flavour here with a super and direct finish – the framing with tannin only an accent and completely without grain… Just a nose short of a great wine today.
Smaller but more direct and attractive nose, becoming perfumed. Another little step up in mouth-filling volume – sleek, subtly with an accent of tannin. Really an executive, sophisticated, texture. Clean, wide, less intense but no less length to this wine. Simply excellent wine, maybe even great with some more time…
2019 Jean Foillard, Fleurie
3 ha in lieu-dit ‘Champagne’ plain-south facing.
A nose of spicy width – slightly alcoholic but also more than slightly attractive. Great scale again but with more depth to the flavour vs the more direct approach of the Côte du Py. I love the texture here. Layered finishing. Another wine that today is just a nose short of being great