Jean Foillard

Jean Foillard is one of the legendary figures of Beaujolais and a leading voice in the region’s natural-wine movement. Based in Morgon, Jean took over his family estate in the 1980s and soon became part of the celebrated group of growers known as the “Gang of Four”—alongside Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton—who revived traditional, low-intervention winemaking in the region. Their work helped redefine Beaujolais, bringing global recognition to its potential for serious, terroir-driven wines.

Foillard farms several of Morgon’s most prized vineyards, including Côte du Py, Corcelette, and Les Charmes, where old-vine Gamay sinks deep into the region’s iconic decomposed schist and granite soils. Farming is organic, with meticulous hand-work to preserve living soils, low yields, and perfect fruit maturity. This gentle approach in the vineyard sets the foundation for Foillard’s hallmark purity.

In the cellar, Jean follows a classic “non-interventionist” philosophy:
– Whole-cluster, semi-carbonic maceration
– Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts
– Long, slow élevage in neutral Burgundian barrels
– No fining or filtration
– Minimal SO₂, used only when needed for stability

This patient, minimalist approach creates wines that are both silky and vibrant, expressing Gamay with uncommon elegance. Foillard’s wines are known for their aromatic lift—violet, cherry, wild strawberry—alongside deep minerality, fine tannins, and a signature sense of effortlessness. They are soulful, seductive, and consistently among the most sought-after bottles in Beaujolais.

More than a producer, Jean Foillard is a benchmark. His wines embody the balance of precision and pleasure, showing how natural winemaking, when done with restraint and experience, can elevate a region to its highest potential.

🍇 Jean Foillard – Terroir & Winemaking

Morgon “Classique”

This cuvée is 100% Gamay sourced from multiple parcels around Morgon, grown on a mix of granite, schist, and decomposed rock typical of the cru. Vineyards are farmed organically, with meticulous canopy work and low yields to ensure concentration while maintaining freshness.

Winemaking follows Foillard’s hallmark approach: whole-cluster, semi-carbonic maceration in closed tanks; native yeasts only; a long, slow fermentation; and aging in neutral Burgundian barrels for finesse rather than oak influence. The “Classique” is the most transparent window into Morgon — bright fruit, floral aromatics, and the signature granite minerality that defines the region.

Style: Pure, lifted, and mineral-driven with fine structure.

Morgon “Côte du Py” Vieilles Vignes

Sourced from old Gamay vines on the famous Côte du Py, a hill composed almost entirely of schist, blue granite, and volcanic rock. This is one of Beaujolais’ most powerful terroirs, producing wines with depth, tension, and longevity.

Foillard harvests by hand at optimal ripeness, ferments the whole bunches using traditional carbonic techniques, and allows a long maceration to extract the terroir’s distinctive dark fruit and mineral tones. Élevage takes place in seasoned oak barrels, often for 9–12 months, allowing the wine to soften without absorbing wood character.

The result: a structured, graphite-tinged, deeply mineral expression of Morgon — one of Foillard’s most iconic bottlings.

Style: Dense, structured, long-lived, intensely mineral.

Morgon “Corcelette”

“Corcelette” comes from 80-year-old Gamay vines planted on sandy, decomposed granite soils — lighter than those at Côte du Py, producing wines with more finesse and aromatic precision.

Foillard’s winemaking is the same minimalist approach: whole-cluster carbonic, native yeasts, long élevage in used French barrels, and bottling without fining or filtration. The sandy soils give Corcelette its silken texture and fine floral lift, while the old vines contribute concentration and subtle spice.

Style: Highly aromatic and elegant; floral, silky, and pure.

Fleurie

Crafted from very old Gamay vines in some of Fleurie’s best sites, including Grille-Midi and La Madone — both known for steep slopes of pink granite. This terroir produces wines with incredible fragrance and delicacy.

The winemaking remains classic Foillard: whole-cluster carbonic maceration, gentle extraction, and aging in older barrels. The granite soils and high elevation create a wine that is more lifted and perfumed than his Morgon bottlings, emphasizing rose petals, fresh berries, and crystalline minerality.

Style: Perfumed, graceful, and vibrant with strong granite signature.

Morgon “3.14”

Foillard’s rarest cuvée, made only in exceptional years from his oldest Gamay vines on the best parts of Côte du Py—some approaching 100 years old. These ancient vines rooted deep into layers of schist and granite give extremely low yields and profound concentration.

Fermentation is long and slow; maceration is extended; élevage can last more than a year. Every part of the process is guided by intuition and minimal intervention: native yeasts, no chaptalization, no fining or filtration, and minimal SO₂ only when absolutely necessary.

“3.14” is the most complete expression of Côte du Py’s volcanic-granite terroir: dense but incredibly precise, layered with spice, dark fruit, and deep mineral resonance.

Style: Profound, complex, and collectible — the pinnacle of Foillard’s work.