Grapelive Wine of the Day
By Kerry Winslow
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2011 Domaine Jean Foillard Beaujolais Nouveau, Gamay, France.
Famous Morgon producer Jean Foillard makes some of the greatest wines of the region, if not beyond, and he makes this Nouveau, which tells a story of the latest vintage and has my mouthwatering for more! I was lucky enough to meet Jean this last summer, though my French skills were not up to any sort of meaningful conversation, then again neither was his English, and this just left me standing with an admiring smile on my face, much the same as when I have his wonderful wines. His Cote du Py Morgon is legendary and his special cuvees are sublime in a way that is hard to put into words, like a great Burgundy is as close as I can get. I was really excited about trying his Beaujolais Nouveau for the first time, and it was hard not the build expectations, but happily as it turns out the wine is great and is a perfect way to celebrate this years harvest and cheer the coming Holidays. The 2011 Foillard Nouveau shows delightful fresh blueberry, black cherry, grapey essence and zingy acidity with hints of spice, and lovely lingering strawberry. This wine is a joy and I will be having more than a few bottles myself over the next 3 to 6 months, drink now, but don’t be surprised to find this drinking well for more than a year! Very impressive, and a good indication that 2011 will be a good year for Beaujolais, and not too far off in quality to the 2009 vintage.
($20 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
Available now at www.sfwtc.com ($18) and sold through Kermit Lynch
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