GANG OF FOUR : Jean Foillard & Marcel Lapierre
Ask any Beaujolais lover which wines they admire most from this popular region and the iconic “Morgon” is likely to be on their lips, figuratively and literally!
Morgon is one of the northern villages that makes up the Beaujolais region. It's probably the most well known Beaujolais village with outstanding wines being produced by two of the most famous producers; Jean Foillard and Domaine Marcel Lapierre. They are part of what has affectionately been coined the “Gang of Four” (Jean-Paul Thévenet & Guy Brenton being the other two).
In the early 80’s, this group of winemakers in Morgon were concerned about the environmental impact of what was happening in Beaujolais, and for that matter all of France. Overproduction and commercialization, coupled with the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides had become the norm. The “Gang” decided to take a different approach and get back to a natural way of farming without chemicals. Hence, the “Natural Wine Movement” was born.
It's these forward thinking pioneers that dramatically changed farming and winemaking as we know it today. They craft authentic, unmanipulated, chemical free wines which have garnered a following throughout the world and are far from what your average American expects when thinking of Beaujolais.
: MORE INFO ON BEAUJOLAIS :The Beaujolais region is located just south of Burgundy (it’s sometimes even considered as being the southernmost tip of the Burgundy wine region) in eastern France. Renowned for the cultivation of the black Gamay grape that thrives in its granite-rich soils and its light, fresh November offering, Beaujolais Nouveau, this wine region boasts ten ‘Cru’ villages that turn out distinctive, elegant reds. Morgon is one such commune, producing such concentrated, well-structured, and age-worthy wines from Gamay, that it has its own appellation.
Morgon is found along with the other village Crus in the northern half of Beaujolais where superior low-nutrient, iron-rich schist soils nourish rich, top-quality grapes. Morgon also boasts the volcanic hill Côte du Py found in the heart of the appellation where vines benefit from the richness of some of the oldest soils in Beaujolais. The result is spicy, robust, complex wine that’s a great partner at the dinner table and has impressive cellaring potential.
Jean Foillard, named eponymously by the latest generation in this wine-producing family, is one of Morgon’s leading producers and is famed for its Côte du Py. If you’ve only tasted lighter Beaujolais reds with the region’s signature bubblegum notes, be prepared for a delightfully different take on the region as you sip this deeply fruity, layered, and beautifully-integrated Cru. This family-run estate is one of the legends of the natural wine movement and, as such, produces Beaujolais that displays appealing lush fruit balanced by earthy depth, qualities that lend themselves to both early drinking and laying down.