2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Alex Foillard’s Brouilly comes from the aptly named La Folie (Madness), a steep vineyard just above Reverdon. If the general rule is that Brouilly is the Côte de Brouilly’s slightly softer, more sensuous sibling, Foillard’s is the exception, proving to be as deep and powerful as the best examples from the Côte. This is perhaps the wine that, more than any other, blurs the boundaries between the two crus—madness indeed!
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Brouilly |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Alex Foillard |
Vineyard: | 1 ha, 50 years old |
Soil: | Granite, under a thin layer of soil |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
After years of the region’s reputation being co-opted by mass-produced Beaujolais Nouveau and the prevalence of industrial farming, the fortunes of vignerons from the Beaujolais have been on the rise in the past couple of decades. Much of this change is due to Jules Chauvet, a prominent Beaujolais producer who Kermit worked with in the 1980s and arguably the father of the natural wine movement, who advocated not using herbicides or pesticides in vineyards, not chaptalizing, fermenting with ambient yeasts, and vinifying without SO2. Chief among Chauvet’s followers was Marcel Lapierre and his three friends, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thévenet—a group of Morgon producers who Kermit dubbed “the Gang of Four.” The espousal of Chauvet’s methods led to a dramatic change in quality of wines from Beaujolais and with that an increased interest and appreciation for the AOC crus, Villages, and regular Beaujolais bottlings.
The crus of Beaujolais are interpreted through the Gamay grape and each illuminate the variety of great terroirs available in the region. Distinguishing itself from the clay and limestone of Burgundy, Beaujolais soils are predominantly decomposed granite, with pockets of blue volcanic rock. The primary vinification method is carbonic maceration, where grapes are not crushed, but instead whole clusters are placed in a tank, thus allowing fermentation to take place inside each grape berry.
Much like the easy-going and friendly nature of many Beaujolais vignerons, the wines too have a lively and easy-drinking spirit. They are versatile at table but make particularly good matches with the local pork sausages and charcuterie. Though often considered a wine that must be drunk young, many of the top crus offer great aging potential.
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais | Côte-de-Brouilly
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Chiroubles
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Jean-Paul & Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Régnié
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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