2011 Jean Foillard, Fleurie, Cru Beaujolais, Gamay, France.
I have a soft spot for Foillard’s wines, a historical bias and love of Gamay, but with all honesty, this new release of his Fleurie is glorious and a masterpiece of pure pleasure and elegance. Foillard’s Morgons are the stuff of legend, but few people know of his Fleurie (black label) which delivers a more delicate and nuanced wine in most vintages, and he waits an extra year before releasing it, making it even harder to keep track of. The 2011 Fleurie is gorgeous, almost flawless in beauty, style and detail with life, textural magic and wonderful length, this is dreamy Gamay, sexy and crafted with precise focus and sublime balance. I adored the 2007 Fleurie, one of my all time loves, though I might say the 2011 is even more satisfying and compelling, it certainly is more dense and hedonistic, drinking with gusto even now, this is special stuff, which I have often in the past with top Premier Cru Burgundy, well, frankly, this stuff might be better still, in fact many a Grand Cru would wish to be this delicious! With 2010 and 2012 Burgundy prices skyrocketing, I wholeheartedly advise checking the 2011 Foillard Fleurie out, it offers amazing pleasure and is of fantastic quality, while not cheap, it still is a great value in the league of peers it has, truly it does. The 2011 Fleurie bursts from the glass with perfume of violets, roses and incense along with layers of black fruits, mineral, spice and earthy charms showing vivid transparency in flavors with blackberry, dark cherry, plum and strawberry liqueur plus truffle, walnut, nutmeg, cinnamon, saline, licorice and dusty peach notes. This is pure heaven in the glass with medium weight, poised acidity, refined tannins and lingering aftertaste that makes your knees buckle, this Gamay will get your heart racing and leave you wanting more, it is stunningly richly hued, shinning brilliantly with dark garnet, keeping your stare and the mouth feel is excellent, hard to imagine a better example of varietal and terroir, drink from 2014 to 2020, imported by Kermit Lynch, don’t miss!
($50 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive
avail at www.sfwtc.com