The Ultimate Holiday Table Wine
The Ultimate Holiday Table Wine
by Tom Wolf by Tom Wolf
2018 Côte de Brouilly
2018 Côte de Brouilly
Working in Brouilly and the Côte de Brouilly, Alex plays with the sometimes mind-bending and rule-defying nature of the special terroirs here.
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Almost thirty years ago, Kermit introduced U.S. wine drinkers to four disciples of Jules Chauvet, the Beaujolais vigneron who experimented in making “natural” wines with unparalleled success. One of these followers was Jean Foillard, a soft-spoken perfectionist who has arguably become the Beaujolais’s most talented vigneron working today. He crafts reds that range from silky to succulent from the cru of Morgon’s top sites. Their balance, finesse, and age-worthiness are unrivaled in the region.
Now, Jean’s son Alex is fashioning his own reds from Gamay, and the apple certainly does not fall far from the tree. Alex has already joined the ranks of the region’s most gifted—and well-trained—producers. Where Alex has strayed is in the appellations he has chosen as a starting point. Working in Brouilly and the Côte de Brouilly, which represent Beaujolais’s two southernmost crus, just south of Morgon, Alex plays with the sometimes mind-bending and rule-defying nature of the special terroirs here.
The general rule is that Brouilly is the Côte’s slightly softer, more sensuous sibling. This is perennially true with the two classic bottlings from Château Thivin, for example. With Alex’s parcels, however, that rule is reversed depending on the vintage. With the 2018s, his Brouilly is arguably more structured while the Côte de Brouilly is downright gorgeous now, reminiscent of succulent red berries and blood orange with a spine of minerality. I opened a bottle on Thanksgiving, knowing that its versatility would play well to all of the dishes on the table and it wowed even those in my family who are not generally Gamay fans. If you have not tried this wine, I can’t think of a better time to become acquainted.
Working in Brouilly and the Côte de Brouilly, Alex plays with the sometimes mind-bending and rule-defying nature of the special terroirs here.
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Côte de Brouilly |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Alex Foillard |
Vineyard: | 30, 60 years, 1 ha |
Soil: | Schist, granite, light layer of sand |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |