Jean Foillard, Fleurie, 2023

Jean Foillard is one of Kermit Lynch's original "Gang of Four" — the Morgon growers who proved Beaujolais could be a living, no-makeup wine rather than candied Nouveau. This Fleurie is his prettier, more aromatic side: old-vine Gamay on pink granite, fermented semi-carbonically with native yeast and almost no added sulfur. The 2023 comes from a generous, ripe Beaujolais vintage, and it shows Foillard's signature at its most charming and drinkable: silky, floral, and bursting with juicy fruit while still carrying that granite freshness underneath. Delicious now, but it will hold and deepen over the next several years.