Morgon Cote du Py Jean Foillard 2016, Organic Wine, 100% Gamay, Low in Sulphur, Iconic vineyard, stunning texture and style of pure Gamay. The soft texture is the best thing about this wine, and it makes you want to drink. "It has no heaviness, it isn't making an effort, it has nothing to prove. After a while longer, herb and tea elements begin to emerge. Then the bottle is empty, leaving me longing for more. It has teased my palate and left me wanting another glass. It is fantastically drinkable!" Not my words, those of Jamie Goode but he describes the wine very well! This is an excellent example of Gamay from the fabled Cote du Py of Morgon, and one of (if not the) best producers. Lush yet poised, hearty yet fresh, complex yet direct - what more could you possibly want?
The Jean Foillard estate has a total surface of 11 hectares next to the fabled Côte du Py hillside. Here the vineyards grow on slopes with crumbly schists soil that give Gamay a unique expression. The hill is actually an extinct volcano, with lots of different types of soils depending of the plots. Foillard now uses the minimal interventionist viticulture, but his wines are neither officially organic nor biodynamic even though he actually applies many of the rules. What’s in a name? What is more important for him, he says, is the result in the bottle, and the certifications on the labels are not his first concern. His cellar is fairly unsophisticated. He buys one-year-old casks and uses them for 10 years, with the objective of keeping the wood in the background. He also has two foudres, one of which is over forty years old.
