Foillard 3.14: Cult Beaujolais

Pi: The Pinnacle of Py
2007 Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14
The Darling of Paris Wine Bars, Rarely Seen in the U.S.

It is almost never available stateside.

Collectively, we've experienced multiple vintages of the Pi at wine bars like Le Verre Volé in Paris. It's one of those wines, like Metras Ultimé or Overnoy/Houillon Vin Jaune, that you can almost never find stateside. Almost never.

Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Crush RSS Feeds     Jean Foillard: the Primer One of importer Kermit Lunch’s Gang of Four, Jean Foillard is obsessively dedicated to the notion of terroir and its expressiveness, crafting Beaujolais of outrageous clarity and detail. To bring out each site's unique voice, Foillard uses spontaneous fermentations and minimal sulfur. Cuvée 3.14: the Equation In the Cuvée 3.14, which debuted in 2003 and is made only in vintages that Foillard thinks will make a distinctly interesting wine separate from his regular Côte du Py, the vines are older, the selection is stricter... there's an overall greater sense of pampering even in light of his usual careful, gentle winemaking.... Foillard also holds the release back three years (the next vintage, 09, will be released in 2012) - a sign that this is serious stuff.

I'd also had the privilege of tasting the 2007 Pi alongside the 2004 when I visited Foillard last summer, and I remembered it being good - really good. But it was also incredibly hot that day, Foillard was my last visit and I'd tasted through a lot.

Back home, I had a magnum I'd been hoarding, and once this parcel became available, we pulled the cork at Crush to see if it lived up to my memory of how it tasted under the less-than-ideal conditions in Beaujolais. It wasn't merely good: It was stunning.

Ian said this was one of the best Beaujolais he's ever had - startlingly beautiful in its outrageous clarity, its high intensity and wild cherry fruit infused with minerals and sprinkled with Asian spices, a finely tuned concentration that's also silken, layered and brisk.

It took the vibrancy, the purity and nimble fruit of the 2007 vintage and laid it right in the hands of this old-vine site's concentration and firm structure, giving a certain coursing-with-energy, shining wildness that's still altogether composed. I could drink gallons of this.

For the record, as delicious as this is right now, there's undoubtedly room for five more years of cellaring, at least.

This is the kind of Beaujolais that's reviving the reputation of the once-snubbed Gamay grape. As the work of one of the region’s absolute masters in one of its most serious Crus, the 3.14 really helps to illustrate just how serious Beaujolais can be. The pricing of such a serious wine reflects this.

Yet, taken in the context of Burgundy, Bordeaux and France's other great wines, this is a steal.

Foillard has a legion of zealous fans (if you're not yet one of them, check out the side bar for a primer/refresher), many of which are reading this email right now. That and the near impossibility of finding this cuvée stateside pretty much guarantee a very fast sell-out today. We've taken as much as we could, but we strongly advise you to place your order quickly.

To do so, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.

Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits