Notify me
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard
Brouilly’s La Folie vineyard is so named because it receives so much wind, thereby driving those who farm it mad. The wind also sweeps most of the topsoil off of this incredibly rocky land, rendering the wines from here unusually chiseled and firm for a cru that is otherwise known for elegance and suppleness. Even La Folie, however, can’t help but yield to the silky touch of a Foillard. Irresistibly floral, deep, and concentrated, this is Brouilly like you’ve never tasted it.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
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: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Morgon
France | Beaujolais
Silky and perfumed, with no rough edges, this is dangerously swallowable.

2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
Leave it to Breton to take summer heat and turn it into a light summer breeze in a glass.

2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
France | Beaujolais
This bottling is classic Brouilly, balanced and old-school, and showcases the beauty of Gamay

2021 Beaujolais-Villages
France | Beaujolais
This drinks like a Gamay infusion with lovely hints of potpourri, spice, and fresh grapes.

2021 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Alex Foillard fashions a Côte-de-Brouilly that strikes a deeper register, saturating the senses with tooth-staining fruit, gritty earth, and just a touch of the good funk.

2021 Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
A generous dash of plump, sun-ripened fruit enveloping a granite core.

2023 Beaujolais Rosé
France | Beaujolais
The result is a pretty, round, and versatile rosé full of notes of red fruit, melon, and rhubarb. It finishes with a subtle herbal note and foodfriendly acidity.

2022 Régnié “Grain & Granit”
France | Beaujolais
Here is a rich, bold Régnié, saturated with luscious fruit and earthy spice.

2023 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
Moulin-à-Vent has a unique, earthy, chewy edge to it that you just can’t find anywhere else.

2023 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
October Club Rouge ~ Leave it to Breton to take summer heat and turn it into a light summer breeze in a glass.
About The Producer
Alex Foillard
The son of “Gang of Four” producer Jean Foillard, Alex had early exposure to the principles of sustainable farming and low-intervention winemaking. Alex’s involvement in the family business began at a young age, helping his father pick grapes during harvest. After studying agriculture at the Lycée Agricole in Montpellier and earning a degree in viticulture and enology in Beaune, Alex purchased his own vineyards, a hectare each in the crus of Brouilly and Côte-de-Brouilly. He works his vines according to organic principles and uses tried-and-true techniques to craft his wines: whole-cluster fermentation with natural yeasts, no fining or filtration, and no additives save for a minute sulfur dose at bottling. As a result, his cuvées have a seductive aromatic component, a silky texture, and a downright deliciousness that is unmistakably Foillard.
About The Region
Beaujolais
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.
More from Beaujolais or France
2021 Beaujolais-Villages
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
Bernard Diochon France | Beaujolais
2022 Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2017 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2023 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais-Villages
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
Bernard Diochon France | Beaujolais
2022 Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2017 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2023 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211